Do you like pop and other fizzy drinks? Are you aware of the consequences of making these beverage choices? Here’s guest blogger, James, with a few highlights!

We may simply love a certain flavour or have a favourite fizzy drink. It is not uncommon for some to prefer Pepsi while others have Coke. Fizzy drinks can be about brand and how they make us feel.

Why choose fizzy drinks?

Some fizzy drinks may settle a tummy in discomfort, may help to release trapped wind, may be a cool relief on a hot day or may just put us in a better mood. Fizzy drinks are sometimes used as a meal replacement for those trying to feel full faster and reduce their weight.

How do fizzy drinks impact our health?

Whatever fizzy drinks mean to us, how often do we think about their impact on our bodies and about choosing healthier alternatives instead?

Unhealthy weight

To replace meals with fizzy drinks may lead to an unbalanced diet that causes a lack of certain nutrients and minerals in the body. A dietary imbalance may change how the body’s metabolism works, and may actually result in unwanted weight gain and lead to being overweight or obese. In some cases, too much weight loss may occur if fizzy drinks are used to replace meals which may cause malnutrition and eating disorders such as anorexia.

Blood sugar

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Everyone of us has cycles, and our daily energy levels is just one example. If you can’t take a nap when your body tells you it needs one, why not try one of these natural tips by guest blogger, Caitlin Sammons from www.timetocleanse.com?

When energy levels plummet in the late afternoon, it can be hard to concentrate on your to do list. Many people will reach for a boost of caffeine or sugar in order to curb the afternoon energy slump. However, there are healthier, more natural methods to boost your energy levels and improve your concentration.

Here are seven ways to boost your energy levels naturally:

Eat a Protein-Rich Lunch

Skipping lunch can leave your blood sugar levels low, making you feel tired and cranky. By eating a healthy, nutritious lunch, such as protein-packed quinoa or lean chicken, you can stave off mid-afternoon sugar cravings and maintain an even energy level throughout the rest of the day.

Hydrate

Dehydration can make you listless, tired, and unable to concentrate. By drinking six to eight glasses of water per day, you can stay hydrated and reduce the risk of becoming even slightly dehydrated. Don’t wait until you feel thirsty.

Take a Walk

Stretching your legs and getting some fresh air can instantly perk you up and get your blood flowing. A brisk walk will improve your circulation and help you get more of the oxygen your brain needs to properly function.

Avoid the Lunch Cocktail

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When you’re healthy, you need a little salt in your diet to remain balanced. However, much of our food supply is overloaded with salt and many of us are consuming way more than we even realize. Here are a few tips from guest blogger, Chris Bekermeier, to help you control your salt intake.

If you are up-to-date about “salt facts,” you’ve probably read too much salt causes hypertension, or high blood pressure, which may lead to a host of other problems like heart disease and stroke. Did you also know that salt is prevalent in our diets, even if we don’t pick up the saltshaker? Approximately 75% of our daily salt intake is already in the everyday foods we eat such as ready-meals, cereals, breads and soups.

Many people forget, whether eating out or at home, that adding salt to their food is unnecessary and also unhealthy. Tasting food to see if salt is needed is the best solution. Many people add salt through habit, but frequently find it is not necessary because their food tastes fine without it.

Research published in the British Medical Journal reveals that if Americans made minute reductions in their salt intake, the result would be over 100,000 fewer cases of heart disease, over 60,000 fewer strokes, and more than 90,000 fewer heart attacks yearly.

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans created by the federal government suggest that individuals limit their sodium intake to 2,300 milligrams per day, or 1,500 milligrams if they are over age 50, are African-American or have high blood pressure, chronic kidney disease or diabetes. Even though necessary in small quantities, salt increases blood volume, stresses the heart and raises the pressure in the arteries.

5 Tips to Take Salt Out of Your Diet

1. Cook from scratch.

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Today’s guest blogger, Grace, is an expert in cleaning. Check to see if you’re making these common household cleaning mistakes! 

Cleaning our home is a task we all have to do on a daily and weekly basis, but unfortunately we usually have time for it only on the weekend. If you add to that the annual spring cleaning, the monthly chores, the usual pre-festive season cleaning and for renovations, it could easily seem that all we do is clean and tidy up. Yet our homes still look dirty, messy and cluttered, the air quality is bad, there are nasty stains on the furniture and the upholstery and some dusting and mopping are never enough.

Keeping a house clean is a constant job, not just something we do on the weekend. Preventing spills and stains, keeping the home clean and tidy – these tasks are the responsibility of each member of the family. The so called domestic or residential cleaning has some basic rules which can help you manage quicker and easier. If you’ve got your own system, just keep in mind that the most important tasks are sanitation and decluttering.

There are some common domestic cleaning mistakes which people make and prevent them from having a more effective cleanup on a regular basis. Here are the 6 most common ones and what you can do to avoid them:

Mistake 1:

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Food can’t be poison unless it’s gone bad, right? Not necessarily. This article by guest blogger, Jaime A. Heidel, isn’t about food poisoning from eating bad sushi; this article aims to shine some light on the poisoned food being sold to you everyday.

This is how the dictionary defines the word poison:

“A substance that, when introduced into or absorbed by a living organism, causes death or injury.”

There are many foods out there being sold as health food or diet food that are really anything but. Even some of the vegetables you’re eating and serving your family can do serious damage to your health. It’s poison but it’s a slower form of poison, which is why so many people, when they finally succumb to its effects, don’t make the connection.

Autoimmune disease, diabetes, chronic pain conditions and even cancer can all be traced back to one common source: Poisoned food.

Top 10 Poison Foods You Eat Everyday

1. Pasta

This American dinner staple is responsible for half a dozen illnesses and disease. This is because 1 in every 133 people is intolerant to the protein found in wheat, barley and rye. This protein is called gluten. Symptoms of gluten intolerance include chronic abdominal cramping, diarrhea, flatulence, muscle aches, brain fog, learning disabilities and mood swings.

Even in those who are not intolerant to gluten, pasta is still essentially a poison food. This is because it is made from refined flour and has virtually no nutritional value. This flour causes blood sugar spikes, chronic immune inflammatory response, and a condition called leaky gut syndrome due to the lectins pasta contains.

If you want to indulge in a healthier pasta dish, switch to gluten free brown rice pasta instead. [click to continue…]