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Get Free Of Excess Mucus

August 12, 2012 By

People rarely consider mucus to be something positive. More often than not, we associate with feeling bunged up and having a cold.

But mucus is a fluid produced by the body for a number of different functions. In the digestive system, it makes it easier to swallow food,  it coats the stomach lining to prevent it from damage by stomach acids and helps ease food through the digestive tract. It’s also a lubricant for the reproductive system. In the respiratory system, mucus prevents particles from cigarette smoke and other pollutants like dust from going into the lungs.

When we’re in good health, our mucus is clear and has the texture of thin jelly. If there’s an infection or other illness, the mucus in our system can become much darker in colour – either yellow or green – and thicker in consistency. The presence of infected mucus can make a cold or cough feel much worse, as the mucus clogs our airways and throat. You can get advice on green mucus at Mucus Management, a website that provides information on the causes of excess mucus production and offers ways to deal with mucus.

If you have a cough it’s usually because there is mucus sitting on your chest. The coughing is your body’s way of trying to expel the mucus, but it can be quite painful to shift congested mucus as it doesn’t clear easily.

There are some home remedies which can ease the symptoms of congested mucus:

  • Drinking fluids, hot and cold. Herbal teas with peppermint or menthol are a good choice as the fragrance helps clear nasal passages and the warmth of the tea helps to loosen mucus.
  • Inhaling steam from a bowl filled with boiling water, to which you’ve added some drops of essential oil like eucalyptus will help shift congested mucus and make it easier to cough up.
  • Applying heat to the chest with a damp, hot cloth or towel can help get the mucus moving.

If these home remedies don’t make enough of a difference, check out the Mucus Management website for more tips and advice on dealing with excessive amounts of mucus.

 

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Nourish your skin from within

January 19, 2012 By

One of the best make up tips ever must be to drink plenty of water. By doing so, you keep your skin hydrated from the inside.  Of course, there are plenty of other things you can do to keep a glowing, healthy complexion.

You’ve probably been following the ‘cleanse, exfoliate and moisturise’ skin care routine on autopilot since you were in your teens. It’s advisable to do keep your cleansing routine to just once a day, and just splash with lukewarm water at the other end of the day – otherwise there’s a danger of removing too many oils from your skin and allowing it to become too dry.

It’s also important to support your complexion with the food you eat. Making sure you have plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables in your diet to supply your skin with the vitamins it needs. Eating foods that contain essential fatty acids (EFAs) like sardines, salmon, soya beans and nuts and seeds will keep your skin and hair in tip top condition.

Of course, as you get into your twenties and thirties, motherhood comes along at some point and the lovely, pampering cleansing rituals you may have become accustomed to during your hedonistic youth have to take second place to the chaos that a new baby brings. Pretty soon, though, you’ll recover your routines – even though you may have to reduce the time you spend on yourself.

In fact you may end up spending more of your day up to your arms in Fairy Liquid bubbles, rather than relaxing baths, keeping up with all the washing-up that children create.  But if you can still make time for a reasonable skincare routine in the evenings when they’ve gone to bed, your face will thank you for the effort in years to come!

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Healthy ways to BBQ

April 7, 2011 By
BBQ

BBQ

There are plenty of ways in which you can turn your griddling not only into a tasty and nice way to cook, but also into a good way to eat. By selecting foods that are low in fats, high in nutrient elements and full of flavour you can get great meals that are also healthy.

Use marinades not only to add additional flavour but additionally to cut back the formation of cancer causing substances on foods.

A marinade containing olive oil and / or citrus juices can scale back the formation of these chemicals by as much as 99% and marinades tenderize meat and make a better meal.

There’s been lots of talk about barbecuing and cancer. While the chance is real and you need to keep this under consideration, there are some straightforward things that you can do to significantly scale back the cancer risk. The 2 first substances, for folks interested are : Heterocyclic Amines ( HCA ) and Polycyclic savoury Hydrocarbons ( PAH ). In the most simple reason these chemicals are formed by putting food, essentially meat in touch with intense heat and flame. They’re known cancer causing agents so you want to rein in their formation as much as you can. Now barbecuing isn’t the sole cooking technique that causes these agents and there is not a rationalization for you to give in on your griddle.

Lately scientists at the Food Safety Consortium project at Kansas State School have demonstrated that herbs of the Lamiaceae family ( Basil, Mint, Rosemary, Thyme, Oregano, and Sage ) employed in marinades reduced HCA formation significantly. This is good news and a good reason to griddle with flavour. These herbal anti-oxidating compounds cut back the formation of oxidizing agents ( bad stuff ) when beef hits heat. HCAs and PAHs are formed typically from fat.

Either by fat being heated to extreme temperatures or by the smoke made by fat consuming.

For the most part this is applicable to beef fats and not simply the grease and fat from what you are cooking but the build up from the bottom of your griddle.

To scale back the hazards follow these starter tips :

* Keep you griddle clean. A clean griddle not only cooks better it is more safe in each way.

* Trim excess fats from foods. These fats are the troublemaker so keep it low.

* Use marinades primarily based on olive oils and / or citrus juices. This is the no 1 way to remain safe. * Avoid flare-ups. Flare-ups burn foods and this increase HCA formation.

* Don’t overcook foods. The burned bits on foods are the biggest sources of PAHs and HCAs so if you have burned sections of beef cut them off.

* Use herbs like Basil, Mint, Rosemary, Thyme, Oregano, and Sage to add flavour and reduce HCA formation in foods.

If you follow these rules not merely will you significantly lower the risk of these cancer agents but you’ll scale back the fat in meat that you griddle. Naturally griddling is a good way to reduce fat, but this takes it even further. If you purchase lean cuts, use lite marinades and serve up your griddled foods with a good helping of fruit and vegetables then you will truly be barbecuing healthy.

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Getting enough vitamins and protein

February 25, 2011 By
high protein foods

high protein foods

Meat, Fish, Eggs and Beans

These foods are all good for protein, which is vital for expansion and fixing of the body. They’re also good sources of a variety of vitamins and minerals.

Around 15% of the calories that we eat every day should come from protein.

Beef is an excellent source of protein, minerals and vitamins like iron, zinc and B vitamins. It’s also one of the primary sources of vitamin B12. Try to eat low fat slices of beef and skinless birds whenever it’s possible to ease back on fat. Always cook beef completely.

Fish is another critical source of protein, and contains many minerals and vitamins. Oily fish is very loaded in omega-3 trans-acids.

Shoot for at least 2 portions of fish a week, including one portion of oily fish. You can make a choice from fresh, frozen or canned, but canned and smoked fish can be high in salt. For more detailed info on the health advantages of eating fish and shellfish and on how much to eat, see Eatwell’s fish and shellfish pages.

Eggs and beats ( including beans, seeds and nuts ) are also good sources of protein. Nuts are high in fibre and a reasonable substitute for nibbles high in saturated fat, but they do still contain exaggerated levels of fat, so eat them sparsely.

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