You Really Are What You Eat

You don’t have to run a Geiger counter over your groceries when you are food screening. You do however need to be aware of the ingredients in your food, so that you can screen your food to ensure that your health is your number 1 priority.

There have always been warnings for consumers about the dangers of cholesterol, refined sugar and additives. The warning labels are there but how many of us pay attention? Unless you have a degree in food science and chemistry, are you really going to know the possible health hazards that can be found in everyday food items?

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The Plain Truth About Pre-Packaged Foods and Trans Fats

Yes, they are convenient, easy to heat and tasty to eat, but pre-packaged and pre-prepared food could pose a significant health risk to people who eat a mostly Western diet. Pre-packaged foods are everyday foods that we love to eat, and love to treat our families with but you need to be aware of what goes into the meal or snack and what you’re putting into your body.

Trans Fats are a modern day solution to the dangers of butter that has turned into a significant hazard to our health. Once lauded as a heart friendly product, Trans fats are found in many pre-packaged bakery items as well as biscuits, crisps, and microwave popcorn. Trans fats are far worse for you than saturated fats because they increase the levels of LDL cholesterol (the bad one) and decrease the levels of HDL cholesterol (the cholesterol that you need).

You need to check the ingredients on all of your everyday baked goods and snacks to see how high up the list you find the words “partially hydrogenated”. If it’s close to the top of the list, it has high levels of Trans fats.

Acrylamide – Cancer Causing Ingredients in Everyday Food

Nearly 40% of all cancers in the human body can be attributed to the type of food that you eat. Arcylamide has been found to cause cancer in humans. That means that it should not be in our food or in our diet. Unfortunately, it is, and it is found in an array of everyday food items that we consume on a regular basis. Baked goods, crisps, bread and cereals. When you reach for a box of your favourite ‘healthy’ breakfast cereal, you need to know what you’re putting into your body.

We all know the dangers of adding too much salt to our meals, but what about salt that is added to our food before we buy it? Bacon and other smoked meats have extremely high levels of salt that we cannot do anything about, except to limit our intake of pre-prepared foods as much as possible.

But Calcium is Good For You…

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Yes it is. In regulated quantities. If you take in an excess of calcium you are leaving your body open to the risk of certain cancers. Prostate cancer in men has been linked to the consumption of an excessive amount of calcium. A daily serving of calcium, which is about one glass of milk, is a sufficient amount of calcium for an adult male.

Modern living, the speed at which our lives move and the convenience of our favourite foods, have meant that we often overload on food that only has a small nutritional value and contains harmful toxins. In moderation, all food may be eaten safely, but if you do not have a balanced diet and limit your intake of processed, and convenience foods, you may be at risk.

This contribution has been provided on behalf of www.vouchercloud.com; For healthy snacks delivered to your door, check out the latest Graze promotional codes and discounts, or browse our other health and fitness offers.

Related Posts

• How To Eat a Vegetarian Diet When No one Else Around You Does!
• Maintaining A Healthy Lifestyle – Tips For Every Age
• The Problems of Too Much or Too Little Body Fat

Manifest Connection

I'll Quit Before it Really Hurts Me

Many people tend to take their health for granted, looking at diseases and health issues as being someone else’s problem; not something that will ever affect them. Unfortunately many of us will face a health issue in our lives that could have been prevented by simple lifestyle changes along the way. Positive changes in your lifestyle add valuable time onto your life, and have additional benefits such as lowered health insurance costs.  If you’re finding yourself more concerned with your lifestyle, and looking for positive changes that you can make to ensure you stay healthy for a long time to come, you may want to consider these important factors.

Smoking

The number one threat to health in North America is the choice to smoke tobacco. Cigarettes cause the majority of preventable diseases at current, and put a massive strain on the healthcare system. Smokers may find that they’re charged more when buying health insurance than those who live life without such risk factors.

Obesity

A growing concern in today’s world, obesity is another leading factor in preventable diseases and disorders. Small changes to portion size, lifestyle and fitness can be all you need to make a positive impact on your health and wellness. While obesity doesn’t necessarily mean you’re unhealthy, it’s link to other majo problems should be enough to worry you!

Drinking

Drinking is such a mainstream pass time that it can be easy to forget that overdoing it can be detrimental to your health. Ideally, each person should stay under two drinks per day, and less if they can help it. The long term health risks of drinking can cause major issues for you down the road, so consider opting out of that third cocktail, or saving your drinks for very occasional celebrations.

Regular Doctor’s Visits

Believe it or not, early detection is a huge benefit to your health. Even those who live the most careful lives can be caught in situations where diseases or disorders arise. If you don’t already see your doctor regularly, make a point of getting health checkups at least once per year. This is especially important as you age, and as your risks of developing issues increase.

Avoid Tanning Booths

Every year, more studies are released about the harmful nature of artificial tanning, and yet this practice is considered to be “safe”, even for minors. Laws are beginning to be drafted and presented that would bring more attention to the health risks a person runs when they spend time tanning. Not only is this practice detrimental to skin health, it’s also costly. Keep in mind that “natural” tanning in the real sun is bad for your health too. If you want that bronse look, stick to spray-on tans!

This guest post is from Allison with HealthInsuranceQuotes.com, where you can find more health and fitness tips and find a great health insurance plan.

Related Posts:

• Food Screening – You Are What You Eat
• GMO Foods: Have We Created a Monster?
• Seven Ways to Get Healthy Cholesterol Levels

Manifest Connection

How To Treat Candida Yeast Infections

Candida yeast infections

There are different types of infections that attack the body when conditions are conducive and candida is one such infection. This is also referred to as yeast infection. It is caused by a yeast known as candida albicans. This is harmless when kept in check by the beneficial bacteria of the human body. But when these bacteria are killed or inhibited by the use of anti-bacterial medicine then the yeast may become problematic leading to infection. It manifests itself in the form of oral thrush, vaginal yeast infections in women and skin infections. Once someone has gone for a test and ascertained that they are suffering from an infection, there are various remedies that can be used as treatment.

How To Treat Candida

One way of dealing with this problem is through intake of vitamins. Vitamins are known to help boost the immunity levels of the body thus helping it in a bid to fight infection. There are various sources of vitamins which include green leafy vegetables like kales amd brocolli. There are also super green foods such chlorella and spirulina which are green algae that are known to be good for treatment. This is because they contain detoxifying capabilities which can be used in the colon to aid in detoxification. This makes the environment less conducive for infections to occur. Vitamin B also contains folic acid which is known to be very important in dealing with stress factors which provide conducive conditions for infection.

Other Natural Remedies

Another remedy that is known to be good for this purpose is the beneficial bacteria known as acidophillus. These bacteria are known to fight infections by increasing the acidic levels inside the small intestines which makes the environment inconducive for the yeast. They are also known to produce hydrogen peroxide which is known to kill the yeast.

Caprylic acid is also one of the remedies that can be used to help treat infection. One can take 1000 to 2000 milligrams of this acid along with daily meals. It is known to have great antifungal properties and this is good for the treatment of yeast infection. It is taken in forms that are enteric-coated considering it is readily released into the small intestines and this ensures that it is gradually released evenly over the whole length of the digestive tract.

Garlic is also another good home remedy that can be used to treat infections. It is known to have anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties. Taking garlic is better than using drugs since the bacteria and fungi can not develop resistance to it. This is because of the different types of ingredients that are present in garlic. To get the best out of it one can take the garlic in its raw form or have it pickled.

Tea tree oil is also a good weapon that one can use to fight infections. There are different ways it can be applied depending on where the infection is. It can either be applied directly on the affected area or be mixed with some water and applied several times a day.

Candida tends to be responsible for infections in humans and these are just some of the ways one can use to help in its treatment.

With a natural yeast cleanse you too can be free from candida and live a healthier happier life.

Related Posts:

• Yeast Infections – Because You, Me, and They Suffer From Them

Manifest Connection

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We all know that our postal services can be hit and miss at the best of times. However, once in a while the unbelievable happens and due to circumstances no one is completely clear about, mail can arrive decades after it was originally sent. By this time everyone involved has moved on in life, leaving the postcard or letter as a reminder of years gone by. Here are a few examples:

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1. A love letter to a college student in the USA arrived in a Pennsylvanian university mailroom an amazing 53 years after it was sent! It was written by the girlfriend of a student who eventually became his wife and has now been forwarded onto him after he was tracked down. The couple, however, have now divorced and so there are sure to be mixed feelings when the letter is finally read!

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2. Literally, a message in a bottle, this note was thrown overboard by an unhappy sailor off the coast of Argentina five years ago. It was then found off the coast of Southern Australia by Peter Lawrence and his father Mark who were determined to find out more. The message, in Mandarin, asked whoever found the message if they would like to become friends. It also contained the name and address of the Chinese sailor who, incredibly, has been contacted by the finders and they are now pen-pals, exactly as the sender had requested in his note!

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3. Recently, Connecticut resident Vasilia Mazzotta, received an Easter postcard nearly 46 years after it was sent! The postcard was sent from Greece and addressed to “Miss Vassoula Sitara, Hartford Con.” No other information, including postage and street address, were anywhere to be seen. The Hartford Courant reported, that the U.S Postal Office did not know how the postcard which was written by her grandfather, John B. Sitaras, was delivered.

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4. Cpl. Terry Crolley, an ex-soldier got the surprise of his life when he recently received a postcard sent by his mum 58 years ago! By pure luck his nephew spotted it on e-Bay and subsequently bought it for him! Cpl. Terry Crolley had left for Egypt when his mother Esther sent the postcard to his barracks in 1953. For some reason he never received it and unfortunately his mother died in 1975 before he had the chance to read it.

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5. Possibly one of the saddest stories is that of Alfred Arthur, who fought in WW1. He wrote to his sister, Ellen, when he was just 19 years old, just before he was shipped to the trenches in France in January 1916. The message to his sister Nell wasbrief, but simply said I haven’t forgotten you and also included his orders for the following week. Tragically, the postcard was never delivered for some reason and Alfred died at the Hindenburg Line at Grecourt 24 months later. Nell herself died fifty years ago but, unbelievably, the postcard was pushed through the door of neighbour Lauren Bleach’s home in Norwich in November 2010. Lauren then managed to get in touch with one of Alfred’s great-nephews and recently handed over the postcard.

This collection of lost letters from around the world was compiled on behalf of HotelClub.com; where you can book the perfect hotel anywhere in the world.

Manifest Connection

Nothing is Better Than Homemade Peanut Butter

My Finished Homemade Peanut Butter

I wanted to learn how to make peanut butter the other day. It sounds kind of crazy because if you know me then you know that I am all about natural food. I make most of my food at home, with a few exceptions, and you would think peanut butter would have been one of them considering my husband loves it! But nope.

I personally would not eat store-bought peanut-butter. I think I watched a show that talked about how rats ended up in your peanut butter because of the fact that rats were attracted to the peanuts and then got caught up in the processing. The story stuck with me and I haven’t been able to eat peanut butter since. Even though I like it.

So the other day I said to my husband that I was going to learn how to make peanut butter because I wanted some!

Turns out it is really, really easy.

Warning: I do not measure food. I eyeball it. I’ll try to estimate the ingredients but, really, it was more of a little bit here and some there kind of thing.

Steps To Make Delicious Homemade Peanut Butter

1. Buy Peanuts

Regular Old Peanuts

We went to our nearest supermarket and just bought some bulk, unsalted raw peanuts. If you like your food raw then this is obviously the way to go. Although, I have heard of people roasting their peanuts for the peanut butter and that is another option if you like as well. We used about 2 cups of peanuts per batch and we made two batches.

2. Put Peanuts in Blender

This is a plain old one button blender. All it does is blend or turn off. So if it can make the peanut butter than any blender can make the peanut butter!

3. Blend

The above picture was only about a minute into the blending process. You can see it’s still a little bit peanuty…but it’s starting to turn into a more liquidy peanut.

About 5 Minutes After Starting To Blend

It only took about 5 minutes to get it to a peanut butter consistency that we are used to. You could stop earlier to make it a chunky peanut butter if you like. Just keep an eye on it in that case.

I had read that you can add some peanut oil or canola oil to the peanut butter if you wish. We didn’t add any and our peanut butter tastes just fine.

What we Did Add to Our Peanut Butter

• We added a tiny bit of salt to our peanuts before we started blending in our first batch.
• To our second batch we added honey and salt during the blending process. It tastes like those sweet and salty bars that you can buy. It’s good – let’s just say that! How much salt and honey? We did it to taste. That’s how I recommend everyone does homemade food because it’s about your preference and tolerance.

It Poured Quite Easy

That’s it! We threw it in to jars, labeled it, and put it in the fridge.

I’ve read that it should last a few months in the fridge. But I’m sure that we will have it gone before than. Just don’t make a huge batch if you don’t think you will finish it all within a few months.

It’s also normal for the oil of the peanuts to separate during storage. Anyone who buys organic peanut butter knows this and it’s just a case of mixing it back together  with a spoon.

I have heard all kinds of variation for making your own peanut butter.

• You can roast your peanuts.
• You can add chocolate to make it extra decadent.
• You can add sugar
• You can add roasted peanuts while blending the raw peanuts for extra crunch and flavor.

I think the theme here is that when it come to homemade peanut butter you can add whatever you want.

Enjoy!

Manifest Connection

With a heart full of love, we feel that we can conquer any other obstacle life presents. Our outlook is positive. That positive attitude makes it easy to infect those around us with joy and lift them up too.

Love is the single most valued component of life. Without love, life seems empty. No matter how much of anything else we have, if we lack love, we’re incomplete. There’s a gaping hole inside of us that nothing else can fill.

Love is a very real energy. You can feel it your heart. You can send it to others. You can heal with it. The uses for the blissful energy of love are without limit.

Try the circle of love meditation exercise below. Sit with it for awhile.

You may feel emotions or energies moving in your chest. Energy may begin flowing up and down your arms. Your hands may become warm or start tingling. If you feel any of these things happening, you’re feeling the very real energy of love.

Hand Position or Mudra

Hold your hands in your lap. Your right hand is on top of your left, the tips of the thumbs touching and your fingers pointing at your wrists. Your arms are a circle.

This forms a counter rotating circle of love. The energy flows up and down the arms, across the chest and through the heart in a circle that goes both directions.

Counter rotating energy fields make it very easy for mental shifts to occur. You may become able to enter into deep states of meditation quickly.

Breathing

Breathe with your stomach, the way a baby breathes. When you breathe in, push your stomach out. When you breathe out, pull your stomach in.

Breathing like this is very relaxing. It allows energy to flow freely and emotions to release naturally.

Posture

If you do Yoga, or are used to sitting on the floor, you can use the full lotus, half lotus or Burmese postures. Most Westerners are better off sitting upright on a chair with both feet flat on the floor.

Please choose the most comfortable position for you. If your body is stressed by pain and discomfort, your meditation is not going to be a pleasant experience.

It will help to keep your spine comfortably straight with your head nicely balanced. Tipping your head too far forward may cause drowsiness. Tipping it too far back will make you lose concentration.

The Meditation

1. Hold your hands in your lap, palms up, one on top of the other with the tips of your thumbs touching each other.
2. Be aware of your posture and breathing.
3. Focus your mind softly on your heart.
4. Become aware of your heart’s energy.

You may soon feel the circle of love begin flowing around your arms and across your chest. Warmth, tingling or a magnetic sensation may appear. If your eyes are closed, you might even begin seeing the energy flowing with your mind’s eye.

Don’t be concerned if the other emotions of anger, sadness or fear arise inside you. Tears may even begin flowing. Simply sit observing. Eventually, the circle of love will dissolve all away. Peace or joy will come.

From this basic meditation you can go on to many other uses for Love. Love really does heal all. Its use is limited only by your imagination.

Richard Crown’s Bio

Richard Crown grew up in California and has lived Asia for more than than thirty years. He teaches meditation in holistic centers in Southeast Asia and by Skype/Tel worldwide. You can take a personal online course at Shaktipat-meditation.org.

Get 2 free Ebooks at Shaktipat-meditation.org/weekly-shaktipat-blessing/

Related Posts:

• Buddha’s Noble Eightfold Path Leads to a Joyful Life
• Meditation – The Quiet Connection To Ourselves

Manifest Connection

The joyful end of suffering comes from following the Buddha’s advice, whether you are Buddhist or not. You gain the ability to be detached by seeing everything around you exactly as it really is.

Buddha’s wisdom becomes yours when you implement his teachings. Having wisdom gives you an inner guidance system for ethical conduct. Greed, hatred and delusion is eradicated in you, making way for love, joy and peace to blossom fully.

Your life becomes cleaner and concentration can develop. With concentration, your focused mind can attain freedom. Freedom from suffering and the cycle of birth, death and rebirth.

In other words, you graduate. Only this graduation brings conscious eternal existence.

The first two Noble Truths deal with developing wisdom.

I.  Right understanding: This means you gain an experiential knowledge of karma, the universal law of cause and effect. Harm that you inflict on yourself and others creates negative energies that must play out fully by being experienced by you. You see clearly that suffering is caused by your craving and by the impermanence of your body and all that you strive for.

II.  Right motive or intention: Having right understanding guides you and grants you the ability to choose between what’s helpful or harmful in life. Renouncing harmful actions and becoming harmless to others and yourself is right intention.

Ethical conduct is the area governed by the next three Noble Truths. Ethical conduct naturally results from right understanding and right intention. You know what is right and you want to do it.

III.  Right speech: This means speaking words that are affectionate, pleasing, heart warming, happy and joyful, making everyone around you feel good. Abstain from lying, abusive, divisive speech and idle chatter. Live in truth, be firm and reliable. Never speak in ways that break people apart or divide them. Always seek to bring everyone together to live in harmony. Your words should be a treasure guiding others to the goal of a happy life and liberation.

IV.  Right action: This means you’re content with what you have. You don’t take anything that is not given freely. You respect all life without killing any living being.  Refraining from sexual misconduct means that you only engage in sex with your partner in a joyful manner that brings no harm to anyone.

V.    Right means of livelihood: This means you must not engage in any action that’s harmful to another being. Trafficking in weapons, humans, meat, dead animals or breeding animals for consumption and producing intoxicants or poisons all result in harm coming to living beings.

Concentration is the area of the last three Noble Truths. When you behave in harmless ways, your mind and emotions calm. You can concentrate.

VI.  Right effort: You entertain no harmful thoughts, words or actions. You focus on what is good and useful for all, including yourself, without any concern for how hard the task is or how tired you are.

VII.  Right remembrance: (of the self) You remain focused on what is arising inside yourself, constantly paying attention to your thoughts and actions so that you don’t slip forgetfully into harmful action.

VIII.  Right realization: (Samadhi) You become able to concentrate on a single point with the objective of raising your consciousness to higher levels. A mind able to focus on a single point indefinitely is an empty mind that’s not distracted by the coming and going of many thoughts. It’s clear, calm and peaceful, like the early morning surface of a lake untouched by wind. It reflects everything it views exactly as it really is –like a mirror reflects your face.

All eight factors are intertwined. As students progress in one area, progress comes in all, but in the beginning, this advancement is likely to be stronger in certain areas.

Two great benefits accrue to those who diligently follow Buddha’s Noble Eightfold Path.

1.  Right Knowledge: Concentration brings the ability to see everything as it really is, not as the way that you want it to be, or the way that you think it is. This knowledge comes from direct experience, not from intellectual exercises like reading books.

2.  Right Liberation: This is brought by direct, experiential knowledge of reality. You awaken to your true nature, what you really are.

So what are you, really?
Follow the path. You’ll discover yourself.

About the Author:

Richard Crown teaches meditation online via Skype/Telephone.

You can download free Ebooks and take a meditation course at Shaktipat-meditation.org/weekly-shaktipat-blessing/

Related Posts:

• A Heart Meditation: The Circle of Love
• Meditation – The Quiet Connection To Ourselves

Manifest Connection

We often hear about too much body fat and how it can cause health issues. But the same is true of too little body fat!  Although, having too little body fat seems to be a lot less of a concern for most people with our ability to eat whatever, whenever we want. But there are a lot of people who fall into both categories!

How Fat is Too Fat?

Some people, like recent fashion icon Karl Lagerfeld will tell you that too fat is when they say so. Man that ticks me off. What a jerk.

Anywase, I’m getting sidetracked here. Opinions are not the deciding factor of when someone has too much body fat.

There is not exact number that is appropriate for everyone. Most of us use the body mass index to figure out where we are in the healthy or non-healthy range. Having too much body fat would be defined as having a BMI of 25 or more. But that said, there are a lot of people who are over that BMI and have a very healthy body.

I personally feel that other aspects like smoking, drinking, happiness, and other physical and mental traits come into play when deciding how healthy someone is. It’s the overall balance that counts – in my opinion. But this article is about weight.

Risk of Obesity

There are so many health risks that come with obesity and too much body fat that it has been declared a chronic disease. Just to name a few:

• Cardiovascular disease
• Hypertension
• Diabetes
• Abdominal hernias
• Arthritis
• Respiratory problems
• Sleep apnea
• Varicose veins

And what’s worse is that fat that collects around the abdominal area (visceral fat or intra-abdominal fat in the pic to the left) of the body can be especially dangerous when it comes to diabetes, stroke, and coronary heart disease.

This may be because visceral fat is rapidly released into the bloodstream whereas the fat just beneath the layer of the skin (subcutaneous fat) releases itself much more slowly and may contribute to less blood lipids.

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How Thin is Too Thin?

If we go by BMI again then we could say that under 18.5 is underweight. But again, that doesn’t apply for everyone. I’ve seen some women who obviously have way too little body fat but weigh an amount that makes them think they are fat.

It’s ridiculous that we label being fat as a certain amount of weight – it skews our body image and messes with our minds about what is really too fat or too thin.

Some risks of being underweight are:

• Anemia
• Hair Loss
• Infertility
• Osteoporosis
• Inability to absorb nutrients
• Malnutrition

Another important consideration for underweight people are the fact that if they go into the hospital and have to refrain from food for a few days for tests – this could greatly affect their health. They don’t have much reserve in their body too pull from! Some body fat is a good thing!

This lack of reserve can apply to many things besides just a hospital stay. In a situation that requires the body to fend for itself without food intake – there may not be a reserve of nutrients and fat there to allow it to do so, and the result could be death.

A Healthy Body Weight

If you listen to your body and eat when you are hungry and eat a healthy and balanced diet, then your body should have a healthy body fat ratio.

Instead of worrying about our fat and weight we should be worried about things like the health of our body. Believe it or not I believe in detox diets like the lemonade diet because it’s about detoxing our bodies more than losing weight. And I personally think that’s a healthy thing.

Exercise, drinking plenty of water, and abstaining from crap like cigarettes and other drugs will help you listen to your body on a larger scale and really give it what it needs.

In the meantime if you are ‘overweight’ in the eyes of someone else like the media or an idiot fashion guy -  don’t take  it to heart. It doesn’t mean you are fat or unhealthy. One size does not fit all in this world!

Related Articles:

• Food Screening – You Are What You Eat
• Preservatives and Additives in Food
• What Type of Vegetarian Are You?

Manifest Connection

The vegetarian and vegan lifestyles have attracted a lot of attention in recent years. Most people are aware that vegetarians don’t eat meat, and that vegans follow a more restrictive diet than that, but the true extent, and impact of the vegan lifestyle is often misunderstood by those who don’t follow that diet.

What is A Vegan?

A vegan follows a purely plant based diet. Not only do they avoid meat, they also avoid milk, eggs, and even honey. Many vegans also refuse to wear clothes made from leather, wool or silk, and avoid other animal products too.

You’d be amazed at the number of things that contain animal products. Cakes include eggs. Many jelly-like sweets contain beef gelatine, and many sauces contain fish products. So, when a vegan brings their own food to a party, they’re not being awkward, they are trying to help avoid an awkward situation where they have to demand to read the label of each and every ingredient in the meal.

Vegans Can Be Healthy

 It is possible to eat a balanced diet, even if you don’t eat animal products. There are lots of healthy fats in certain fruits and vegetables, and there are plants that are good sources of protein too. Just because something comes from the soil, it doesn’t mean that it’s just a source of fibre and a few vitamins. Vegan diets are less calorie dense, but they can be balanced and healthy as long as the person following the diet educates themselves. Meat eaters don’t get a free pass when it comes to diet, either – a meat eater that eats steak and chips every single day is probably missing out on just as many essential nutrients as a vegan that lives on plain salad with no dressing.

Social Conscience

If you’re a vegetarian or a vegan, you’ve probably had people make comments about starving children in Ethiopia, or say something like “the chicken is already dead in the supermarket, did it die for nothing, or are you going to eat it?” The people asking those questions are missing the point. Sure, some vegans think that by taking that one personal stand, they’re changing the world, but there are many vegans that are pushing for other changes too.

For example, they support the soil association and are trying to encourage organic farming. They buy food produced locally and are aware of issues such as food miles (importing out of season produce from another continent isn’t exactly environmentally friendly!), soil erosion, and supermarket monopolies. Choosing to not eat meat or animal products yourself doesn’t mean that you have chosen that one cause, and don’t care about domestic violence issues, starving children in Ethiopia, earthquake victims, or other good causes. Charity and social conscience issues aren’t about competition, and it’s unfair to try to say that any one cause trumps another.

That’s not to say that vegans have a right to lecture non vegans, but next time someone says “I can’t eat that, I’m vegan”, don’t try to convert them or explain how their choice is bad or wrong. Instead, ask them, for future reference, what they prefer to eat. Mutual acceptance is a wonderful thing.

Written by James Harper on behalf of Garden Topsoil Direct.

Related Posts:

• What Type of Vegetarian Are You?
• How To Eat a Vegetarian Diet When No one Else Around You Does!

Manifest Connection

You Are a Pro at Manifestation!

Chances are you Are GREAT at Manifesting What You Don't Want!

The manifestation of things we are thinking about is actually quite easy easy to do! Instinctively we all know how to manifest. We manifest stuff we do and don’t want every day. We’re just a million times better at manifesting what we don’t want which is why we’re always saying ‘I knew that would happen!’ or ‘Can’t anything ever go right for me?’

We can bring the negative things into our lives without much effort.

How do we get better at positive manifestation? We keep learning how manifestation, the law of attraction, really works and we practice what we learn. That’s the only way to do it.

Most of us are Actually Pro’s at Manifestation

You have to admit most people are pretty damn good at getting what they don’t want in life.

Are you one of those people who NEVER receives your order the way you want it, whether it’s at a restaurant or just a delivery from a store? If you are then congratulations, you really are a pro at manifesting.

If everyone had the realization that just saying and thinking those common negative phrases, like “My order always gets screwed up!” is making everything we don’t want manifest over and over again, then we could get rid of those sayings completely and start to turn all of our lives around.

It’s easier for us to manifest the negative things because we really believe they are going to happen.

We Can’t Have Good Things in Our Lives

I’m not sure when it becomes ingrained in us that we can’t obtain everything we want in life – whether it be the perfect career, house, partner, education, and on and on. All I know for sure is that it’s complete crap.

All those things you want are obtainable and all you have to do is start working your way towards it. Start taking serious action to get the things you want. Don’t just sit back and wish for them, you will never get what you want that way – you have to take action and start moving towards what you want.

You can’t manifest something by putting the effort in but carrying the belief that you are NOT going to reach your end goal. All the effort in the world is not going to get you there if you don’t believe you deserve it.

Why? Because if you believe that you don’t deserve your wanted manifestation, then you will do everything in your power to avoid getting it. (Think overeating when you are trying to lose 10 pounds that you don’t think you can lose.)

And the universe will not allow you to get what you want if you don’t believe you can have it. Your dominate thoughts are I don’t deserve this – so you will never actually attract what you want because the law of attraction is about attracting what your dominate thoughts and feelings are focused on.

We All Deserve To Be Happy

I don’t care whether you are a doctor, a rocket scientist, or a fast food employee. Everyone deserves to have whatever makes them happy, and everyone can obtain happiness.

We are all equal.

Having doubt about actually being able to receive what you want happens to everyone, but if you take those doubts and push yourself past them – then you will eventually end up to the place you want to be.

Bottom line: The more you learn about positive manifestation, the more you will apply what you learn, and the more you will see your positive manifestations come true. Start living the life you want to live and not the life you’re expected (or expecting) to live.

Some Manifestation and Taking Action Resources:

Now you can attract money, health, success, happiness, love and more into your life quickly, consistently, and automatically, using the incredible power of the Law of Attraction PLUS the little-known “Missing Secret” that opens the door to uninterrupted abundance. If the Law of Attraction isn’t working for you all the time … or if you simply want to attract MORE … then this program is going to have an instant and astonishing impact on the results you’re getting in life!

The Focused Mind State: Maximizing Your Potential through the Power of Concentration is your guide to utilizing this state of perfect concentration, and getting into a peak performance state whenever you need it.

The 28 Principles of Attraction: How to Stop Chasing Success and Let It Come to You is a program developed to take the stress and confusion out of your life. If you’re tired of forcing things, handing out boxes of business cards, constantly shaking hands with strangers, making uncomfortable cold calls, and attending every networking function within a five-hundred mile radius, then Thomas Leonard’s The 28 Principles of Attraction program is just what you need to streamline your life.

Related Articles:

• Secrets of The Law of Attraction
• Law of Attraction

Manifest Connection