7 Cheap Anti-Aging Foods

www.psychologytoday.com

Not that these foods will make you stop growing old, but they can effectively delay aging. And mind you, they're cheap and easily available, though grossly neglected.

1. Avocado - how much does an avocado cost in Manila today? About P40 a kilo. Well, that's cheaper than if you're addicted to smoking and drinking. Avocado is rich in Vitamin E and B complex--the first is anti-aging and the second for nerve health. Both promote skin health. Potassium in avocado moisturizes and hydrates the skin.

2. Watermelon - rich in vitamins, antioxidants and minerals. It prevents skin wrinkles and discoloration that comes with aging.

3. Papaya - you see papaya everywhere. And it's just about P30 to P40 a big piece. Papaya is rich in Vitamins A, C and E--all anti-aging and anti skin wrinkling. It is also said to promote natural skin tone.

4. Apple - it's everywhere, too, and in various types. I love Fuji apples. Apples with bright red colors though are better peeled than eaten with their skin. Some of these apples have their peels applied with wax to make them shinier and last longer. Apples are rich in Vitamin C and promotes enzymatic action that helps your skin retain healthy water levels.

5. Banana - my all-time favorite! Skin elasticity is what you get from it due to its high Vitamin B-6 and C contents. Its manganese and antioxidants fight premature aging.

6. Tomato - rich in lycopene when cooked, and we all know lycopene is good for the heart. When your heart is healthy, you naturally enjoy feeling and looking younger. And the rich Vitamin C (when eaten raw) makes your skin glow. Tomatoes are sold affordably everywhere.

7. Grapes - probably not so cheap but there are times when they are--like when it's Christmas time in the city (ring-a-ling). Grapes are rich in manganese and Vitamin C which protect your skin from ultra-violet rays. Grapes also fight free radicals effectively. Free radicals are among top promoters of aging.

Some may ask me, "If you know so much about anti-aging, how come you have white hair?" You'd be surprised how many barbers have already wondered why my white hair glows and shines beautifully unlike other hair. And despite the white hair, many say my face look young. If you don't believe, let's meet somewhere and have a glass of my favorite carrot juice.

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Easy Secret to Live Longer and More Meaningful

www.thechangeblog.com

Lots and lots of people ask me one vital tip to a longer, more meaningful life. Many others obviously need the tip but are hopelessly entangled in the complications of life--and yet not know it.

After examining things and having tried a lot of lifestyles in my hectic but meaningless life before, I learned one thing--keep things simple. There's so much wisdom in that. Yet, so few get it. They think busyness is the way to go--because it looks smart and productive.

Yet.in fact, the whole point of life  is to keep things in their simplest possible form. That's the secret to a full and meaningful healthy life that has power for a long life.

Well, it's not a guarantee that you'd live to a full ripe age of say 90 or a hundred. But even if you die young, you'd feel having lived a long, full and satisfactory life if you had kept things simple.

How do I know that? Have I experienced dying young?

Nope, but Jesus have. He died at 33 but lived a full, meaningful and healthy life--in fact a "long" life, as it were, because He is the LIFE.

It's an epidemic--so many people launch out to a very busy life and think that's what makes a life. They intently make their daily schedules hectic and everything complicated and feel productive when they are dead tired at the end of the day. They love it that way and believe they are getting the meaning in life.

But later, they end up miserable with empty achievements, sad, and finding out too late that they have wasted their time and energies for nothing. A lot of them find themselves bound to their sick beds in old age, reaping the results of a stressful life. Worse, some of them don't realize to the end what they really missed.

You want a well lived and happy life with your loved ones? Keep things simple. That's one of the topics I discussed in my upcoming e-book, "My Secrets to Cheap, Simple, and Safe Fitness Easy to Keep Up With" (Exercises You Can Do Anywhere).

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Things that Make You Think Slower

www.npr.org

Nobody wants to be a slow thinker, right? Well, let me think............

If you find yourself thinking less effectively (and less correctly) than before--and you're not yet 40 like I am (wait, am I 40 or 50?)--it's probably something else than age that makes you like that.

Pondering is a different thing from slow thinking, mind you. Pondering (as against brooding, another different word) is healthy.

Actually, being 40, 50 or 60 should not automatically make you less mentally sharp. Truth is, the brain is designed to grow more as we age, not shrink. But why does it sometimes shrink and lead to mental illnesses like dementia? 

It's because of some things around us we're not aware of. Like the following:

Tap Water. Tap water is better than purified or distilled water. But the problem is, tap water sometimes have fluoride. Fluoride lowers your IQ, says experts. For water with no fluoride, having it undergo reverse osmosis filtration works. But this may also eliminate water minerals. So, how about balancing them?

Fake Sweeteners. A lot of commercialized and fast foods (or junk foods) have artificial or fake sweeteners. They cause brain cell death. So next time, use real food as sweeteners like wild honey, muscovado or stevia. If you can't afford them (and since we're after cheap health and fitness with middle income budget) try brown sugar--for a while.

Sweet Food. Watch out for foods rich in sugar or high in fructose corn syrup. These things cause the brain to shrink. So cut down on your sweet desserts like cakes and ice creams. 

GMO. GMOs and processed foods can cause omega-3 fats in the brain to become rancid and toxic.

Pesticides and Herbicides in Vegetables. Make sure your vegetables and fruits are not "rich" in chemical pesticides and herbicides. 

Alcoholism. Too much alcohol (some say even a little alcohol) in the blood wrecks your brain neurons. Just drink fresh fruit juices.

Cellphones. Electromagnetic radiation from mobile phones and the like intervene with DNA activity in your brain cells that can lead to brain dysfunction. So just read more books and talk with friends in person.

Deodorants. Aluminum in deodorants and other antiperspirants can collect heavy metal toxins in your brain. So, just take a bath everyday. 

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This One Thing May be Killing Your Brain (Or How to Detox Your Brain)

gizmodo.com

You should be detoxifying your brain, or else you're setting it up for the worse. A lot of folks don't realize it, but there's one thing in their lives that make them kill their brains--and it's something worse than the brain-devouring zombies I saw in one scary movie.

What is it?

Lack of sleep.

Believe it or not, this one, almost harmless-looking thing has been responsible for a lot of brain diseases, among them Alzheimer's, health experts say. And sleep is not just about the brain.

Look at these facts on restful sleeping:

1. It recharges your overall body system. 
2. It refreshes you like nothing on earth can.
3. It decreases stress hormones.
4. It lessens fatigue.
5. It protects the brain from toxicity and damage.

The fifth benefit is quite interesting.

One study done at the University of Rochester Medical Center discovered how the brain does its natural detoxification of harmful wastes acquired during the day with sleep.

A good sleep enables your brain to pump spinal fluid to your brain. This fluid flushes out wastes from your circulatory system and sends them to the liver for permanent disposal.

But this process is so exhaustive or rigorous to be done in the day time when you are already active and using up a lot of energy. So the brain does it at night when you sleep and use almost zero energy. This way, a lot more amyloid-beta (plaque or clogging containing protein that can lead to Alzheimer's) are removed, researchers found out.

So, make sure you get 7 to 8 hours of good sleep each night.

Get more of my tips and secrets on cheap health and fitness with middle income budget when my new e-book comes out on Choy's Cut: "My Secrets to Cheap, Simple, and Safe Fitness Easy to Keep Up With" (Exercises You Can Do Anywhere).

And you can support this blog by funding it via Contribute. See the top right sidebar of this blog to see what you can get in return for funding it.

Paris Terrorist Attack and Health and Fitness

www.sodahead.com

Recently, the world was shocked to see what it thought would never happen--terrorists attacking a major city of a world superpower.

Paris, attacked by terrorists?

As I watched the videos, I couldn't help noticing people jumping out of windows to escape to safety. There was even a woman hanging just outside a window, her hands clutching desperately on the window sill.

It's clear then that in times of serious emergencies like a sudden and violent terrorist attack that can happen even in the safety of a modern city far away from wars, you need some athletic ability to escape with your life. You need to be healthy and fit. And the time to be so is now.

Don't wait for terrorism to reach your shores before you start getting healthy and fit. Start training now. And anyone can start doing it today, even if you haven't exercised all your life, especially with the help of my upcoming ebook, "My Secrets to Cheap, Simple, and Safe Fitness Easy to Keep Up With" (Exercises You Can Do Anywhere). Watch out for it here on Choy's Cut.

It's obvious that escaping danger or even death means you should be physically fit and healthy. Running away from danger--especially terrorist danger--involves some sort of athletic ability like running, climbing, lifting, ducking, wrestling, and even fighting, if necessary.

And even if you get caught, you need health and fitness to keep calm, stay alert and survive. Not that health and fitness can guarantee your safety--but they can give you a definite edge.

And to stay healthy and fit, you need not spend too much--or even spend a dime.

Stay with this blog and get regular tips on cheap health and fitness with middle income budget.

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Berries are Excellent for Health. But They're Costly. Here's a Cheap Alternative

www.fieldtoforkcsa.com

Aside from being high in Vitamin C, fiber, powerful antioxidants and low in their glycemic index, berries are delicious. Blackberries, blueberries, raspberries. And cherries, too, though a distant relative of berries.

You can eat lots of cherries and not worry about your blood sugar count. If late at night you feel like eating dessert, then go for cherries.

Problem is, berries (especially cherries) cost a  lot. Most of us middle income people can't afford to buy and eat them often. We probably eat cherries only during birthdays or Christmas when special cakes we buy are topped with cherries.

But eat them like bananas everyday?

But there may be a good alternative to cherries and costly berries--our very own native berries, like duhat and aratelis (or arateris).

Well, duhat is seasonal, but aratelis isn't. If you have an aratelis tree, it bears fruit the whole year. We once had one in our backyard and it just couldn't stop bearing fruit. And it needed no special attention. In fact, it just grew there like a weed.

There's little to no data about the health benefits of aratelis, but being in the family of berries, it's safe to assume that it's very nutritious like other berries are. I'm pretty sure it has lots of Vitamin C and antioxidants. Why? Because generally fruits with deep red color do. Nutritionists would tell you that.

If you can source ripe deep red aratilis, try to refrigerate them. Once chilled, they taste super tasty and sweet! You can top them on ice cream or mix with fruit salads. Or eat them as they are.

Problem is, though aratelis trees quickly grow anywhere (and you'd see the trees almost everywhere) you can't buy it just anywhere. In fact, I don't know of a place where aratelis is sold. You really have to seek hard for a place where aratelis is sold in Metro Manila, or probably any place for that matter. Ironic, isn't it?--can be found anywhere but you can't buy it anywhere as well.

This is because most people think it's a dirty fruit. They associate it with cadavers in cemeteries where the tree quickly grows beside tombs. Moreover, most people cut down these trees when they see them because they think aratelis trees are useless.

But there are aratelis trees that grow in safe places and the fruit they bear is nutritious. We need to re-think our thoughts about aratelis. It can be very helpful with our aim to get cheap health and fitness with middle income budget.

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Never Do These 3 Things if You Don't Want to Destroy Your Health

www.liesyoungwomenbelieve.com

Never do these 3 things if you don't want to destroy your health. And don't think these are optional.

Even some fitness buff often fail in this. More so those who don't give a damn about fitness, whatsoever. The buffs do all the workouts and observe the strictest diets--and keep fit--and yet keep doing 3 things they shouldn't be doing if they want to stay healthy--get so busy, always be in a rush and prefer anything instant.

1. So Busy

Most people today are helplessly addicted to this--keeping themselves so busy. I've seen how they consider it mortal sin to relax and simply hang around now and then. If they see you relaxing, you're dead meat. They want everyone around them busy as they are.

Don't be like that. Get busy with things that really matter but never get so busy always. It will kill you. So-busy will stress you up so much (that's what it does to millions of people today) and produce countless free radicals in you that destroy your body.

2. Rushing

Because they're so busy, most people are always rushing. They have to finish this and that in the next minute. They feel happy when they have to beat deadlines scheduled for yesterday. Keep feeding yourself stress like this everyday and it will wreck your health and shorten your lifespan, making you a frequent guest at hospitals (and making doctors richer) sooner or later.

3. Instant Anything

Instant products and fast food are mostly very unhealthy (like instant noodles and juice drinks) and people who love them will go to their early graves fast, even instantly. Often find time to cook natural food. And when you get used to instant things your patience shortens. Impatience can be a very dangerous thing for your health eventually. NO kidding.

Here's the Simple Remedy!

The remedy is to live life to the full each moment. Relax and keep cool. Often, this means taking your time (and getting God's timing). That puts your patience in tiptop shape--and it's for FREE! You don't need to spend a cent--perfect for your cheap health and fitness with middle income budget.

Remember these:

What do people get for all the toil and anxious striving with which they labor under the sun? All their days their work is grief and pain; even at night their minds do not rest. This too is meaningless. [Ecclesiastes 2.22-23]

I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while they live. [Ecclesiastes 3.12]

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How Healthy is Oatmeal?

www.natural-homeremedies-for-life.com

I love oatmeal any time of day. It's best for breakfast but I eat it anytime I feel hungry--that is, if there's any oatmeal around. If you feel like snacking, oatmeal is among best.

And it's cheap!

A kilo would probably cost you around P70 in Manila. And how many cups of oatmeal would that make? Oatmeal would help you keep up with your cheap health and fitness with middle income budget.

You may try instant oatmeal if you're always in a hurry, but some health experts prefer whole grain oatmeals you have to cook before eating. Because I work at home online, I have time to cook. I'm seldom in a hurry with life and that's how I prefer to live. As much as possible, I stay away from instant, so busy and rush.

I love my big bowl of oatmeal with lots of fruits on top--bananas, melons, papaya, kaimito, or strawberries if there are any around. Then pour on some milk and that's it. You can blend the whole thing, too. I seldom put sugar in my milk.

But, is oatmeal really healthy?

Being whole grain, oatmeal helps you prevent deadly diseases like high blood pressure, heart problems and type-2 diabetes. Oatmeals are said to be rich in lignans which are plant chemicals that help prevent heart diseases.

What makes oatmeal a big hit for my fitness is its rich fiber content. When something is high in fiber, it helps keep a healthy digestion. Prevents colon cancer, too. Moreover, it keeps your stomach feel full for a longer period of time--so you won't have to feel hungry again sooner than you need to.

So it makes you eat less.

Plus, whole grains like oatmeals also have magnesium, iron, and the B vitamins.

Just make sure to buy "whole grain" oats. Some instant oats may contain high sodium and sugar but low on fibers.

One Simple Reason Why Most People are Sickly Today

senhospitals.in

I sometimes find myself in hospitals nowadays, not because I'm sickly but because some people are. I have to visit them being good friends of mine.

And what I note is this--there's often one simple reason why most people are sickly today--they don't eat enough fresh fruits.

And really, it costs cheap to get rid of diseases most of the time.

Well, it's different when most of your life you've been eating little to no fruit, and then you get sickly and you suddenly decide to eat lots of fruits from now on. It simply wouldn't work like when you start eating fruits way before you get sickly.

Although you can always try starting now even if you're already sickly.

Problem is, people see fresh fruits as mere dessert. They don't see it as a meal or part of a main meal. Moreover, you don't eat fruits like desserts you eat after eating main meals. You should eat fruits before eating anything. Lots of people do not know this simple health practice--or know it but just laugh about it.

But it's these basic health truths that matter and often decide the fate of your overall health.

I have the habit of eating fresh fruits early in the morning--latundan bananas, oranges (dalandan is always so cheap), kalamansi, guavas, papaya mangoes, avocados, melons, or whatever is available at our local fruit store. For instance, guavas are good--and they cost me only P10 for 5 big-enough and ripe-enough pieces. I so love guavas since I was a kid. It's rich in Vitamin C and other vitamins and minerals.

So many people are sickly today, especially when they get old, because all their lives they lacked fresh fruits. They eat apples and grapes only during Christmas, eat one small banana a day (if any), and eat other fruits only when they're in season.

Worse, instead of eating fresh fruits, they spend money daily on vices.

That makes their immune health suffer lack and deficiency.

When they get old, diseases easily attack their bodies. And then they realize it and start eating fruits, which is often too late.

If people had eaten lots of fresh fruits in their younger years, more people would be out of the hospitals today. That's cheap health and fitness with middle income budget for you.