Saturday, June 29, 2013

5 Nutritious Leafy Greens You've Never Heard Of

It goes without saying that a varied diet-one that includes all food groups-is key for proper nutrition and lifelong health. Yet across the world, in both affluent and poorer nations, diets are nowhere near as diverse as they could or should be. For different reasons, scores of people across the globe are missing out on many vital nutrients that they should be consuming.

In the developing world, 160 million children are currently undernourished, notes Jessica Fanzo, an associate professor of nutrition at Columbia University in New York City and co-editor of a recently released book, "Diversifying Food and Diets: Using Agricultural Biodiversity to Improve Nutrition and Health Security."

This is partly due to economics, of course, but while food security is a more pressing issue in the developing world, many people there are also not availing themselves of the foods they have ready access to.

"You walk around a small farm in Tanzania, for example, and you'll see many different leafy greens, but then the staple crops like corn are the ones that people end up not only consuming on a regular basis, but also harvesting and selling," Fanzo says. "As such, they forget about what's growing around them and they're missing out on the many benefits that their local biodiversity has to offer."

Fanzo also believes that diet diversity in the developed world could use a serious boost as well-and not only because the American crop system has lost much of its diversity through the years ("A century ago, we had 300 varieties of sweet corn and now we have just 12," notes Fanzo), but also because in the U.S., "peoples' knowledge of what they're eating and where it comes from is probably lower than it is in the developing world, where the farm to fork pathway is much shorter."

Her best advice for a rich and diverse diet: Explore farmers' markets and ethnic grocery stores to sample the plethora of fruits and vegetables, meats, cheeses and eggs they offer in order to "color your diet, because the more color you have on your plate, the better for you-and that's the golden rule," she says.

Purple, yellow, red and orange vegetables all have wonderful and essential properties for health and wellbeing, notes Fanzo, and the same goes for fruits. Each color group offers endless possibilities, she says, especially the greens-where many Americans could afford to diversify much more.

"Most people think they're doing the right thing by eating kale, for instance, because they have read so much about its properties, but that sets a precedent for not being diverse or seeking out other leafy greens, when there are so many other varieties out there that also have amazing and essential properties," explains Fanzo.

Here, we feature some greens you may not have heard of but that are equally, if not more, beneficial to your health and wellbeing.

- by Savita Iyer-Ahrestani

MalabarSpinach

Malabar Spinach
"This wonderful leafy green is rich in mucilage," says Ruby Hsiao, assistant specialist in indigenous vegetables at AVRDC (Asian Vegetable Research and Development Center)-The World Vegetable Center in Taiwan. "Mucilage soothes mucous membranes in the throat and helps prevent stomach irritation."

Malabar spinach also delivers beta-carotene, or pro-vitamin A, which helps form and maintain healthy skin and teeth and promotes good vision.

Amaranth

Amaranth
The leaves of the Amaranth plant, which can be sautéed, steamed, boiled or stir-fried, are a great source of folic acid and iron.

"The human body needs iron to produce healthy red blood cells and prevent anemia," says Ray-yu Yang, a nutritionist at AVRDC. And folic acid is an especially important nutrient for women during pregnancy. That's because folic acid helps a growing fetus' neural tube-the part of the body that becomes a baby's brain and spinal cord-develop properly.

Kangkong

Kangkong
Also known as water spinach, kangkong leaves-which can be cooked or eaten as a salad-contain flavonoids. These antioxidant properties help protect cells from damage caused by free radicals, which are believed to contribute to certain chronic diseases and play a role in aging.

Perilla

Perilla or Shiso
"The beautiful purplish-green leaves have a bright, peppery taste," says Hsiao, and "perilla contributes luteolin to the diet, which has antibacterial and anti-inflammatory activities"-the latter helps decrease the incidence of cancer, heart disease and diabetes.

The versatile leaves can be deep-fried, pickled or used as a wrap for rice, meat and vegetable fillings.

Purslane

Purslane
With its pink, white and yellow flowers, purslane is as beautiful to look at as it is to eat. "The tender shoots and leaves contain Omega-3 fatty acids, which are normally found in sources such as fish," says Yang. Purslane can be eaten fresh, pickled or sun-dried to crunch up at a later date.

http://shine.yahoo.com/healthy-living/5-nutritious-leafy-greens-youve-never-heard-122300986.html

Photo by: Thinkstock

Tuesday, June 25, 2013

Nutritional Benefits of Hemp Milk

220px-Hemp-Non-Dairy-Milk

For most people, milk has been part of a standard daily diet their entire life. You may drink several glasses of milk a day. If you’re looking for a healthier alternative to cow’s milk, consider hemp milk. It offers a variety of health benefits and it’s easy to make.

Health Benefits Hemp Milk

Before we jump into the nutritional value of a glass of hemp milk there are some other health benefits to consider.
Hemp milk doesn’t contain many of the allergens milk from animals contains. Many people are lactose intolerant or allergic to either whey protein or casein. The allergies can cause anything from gastric distress to migraines and anaphylactic shock. All of these ingredients are found in cow’s milk, sheep’s milk and goat milk. Hemp milk is free from these common allergens.
Additionally, hemp milk contains wonderful omega fatty acids. Omega fatty acids are excellent for improving immune function, organ function, better skin, nails, and better brain function as well.

Nutrition

Your standard 8-Ounce glass of hemp milk contains the following nutrients:

• 900mg Omega-3 Fatty Acid
• 2800mg Omega-6 Fatty Acid
• All 10 Essential Amino Acids
• 4 grams of Protein
• 46% of RDA of Calcium
• 0% Cholesterol
• Potassium
• Phosphorous
• Riboflavin
• Vitamin A
• Vitamin E
• Vitamin B12
• Folic Acid
• Vitamin D
• Magnesium
• Iron
• Zinc

As you can see hemp milk is full of nutrients. It tastes much like almond, rice or soy milk. It is a bit watery so it may not work well as a straight replacement in baking however on cereal and as a glass to drink, it is quite delicious.

How to Make Your Own Hemp Milk

Nutritional Benefits Hemp Milk

Making hemp milk is easy to do. However, finding hemp seeds may be a bit trickier. You can order them online and some natural health food stores may carry both hemp milk and hemp seeds.

In a blender combine one cup of shelled hemp seeds with five to six cups of water. Blend for two to three minutes until smooth. For richer milk, use less water. For thinner milk you can add more water. You can sweeten the milk, great for coffee, add honey or agave and vanilla extract. You can drink it as is or you can strain it through a cheese cloth or fine strainer to remove seed particles.

If you have cow’s milk sensitivities or are simply looking for a vegetarian alternative hemp milk is extremely healthy. More supermarkets are beginning to carry it and you can make it yourself at home too. Give it a try, you might be surprised how tasty it is.

http://www.treeliving.com/nutritional-benefits-hemp-milk

Wednesday, June 19, 2013

Sweet Potato Ranks Number One In Nutrition

sweetpotato

According to nutritionists at the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), the single most important dietary change for most people, including children, would be to replace fatty foods with foods rich in complex carbohydrates, such as sweet potatoes.

CSPI ranked the sweet potato number one in nutrition of all vegetables. With a score of 184, the sweet potato outscored the next highest vegetable by more than 100 points. Points were given for content of dietary fiber, naturally occurring sugars and complex carbohydrates, protein, vitamins A and C, iron and calcium. Points were deducted for fat content (especially saturated fat), sodium, cholesterol, added refined sugars and caffeine. The higher the score, the more nutritious the food.

    Sweet potato baked 184
    Potato, baked 83
    Spinach 76
    Kale 55
    Mixed Vegetables 52
    Broccoli 52
    Winter Squash, Baked 44
    Brussels Sprouts 37
    Cabbage, Raw 34
    Green Peas 33
    Carrot 30
    Okra 30
    Corn on the Cob 27
    Tomato 27
    Green Pepper 26
    Cauliflower 25
    Artichoke 24
    Romaine Lettuce 24
    The Center for Science in the Public Interest, Washington D.C.

The reasons the sweet potato took first place? Dietary fiber, naturally occurring sugars, complex carbohydrates, protein, vitamins A and C, iron and calcium. The sweet potato received a score of 184; the vegetable ranked in second place was more than 100 points behind with a score of 83.

Sweet potatoes are high in the following: beta-carotene, vitamin A, vitamin B6 and vitamin C; fiber, thiamine, niacin, potassium and copper. They are also a good source of protein, calcium, vitamin E.

The numbers for the nutritional sweet potato speak for themselves: almost twice the recommended daily allowance of vitamin A, 42 percent of the recommendation for vitamin C, four times the RDA for beta carotene, and, when eaten with the skin, sweet potatoes have more fiber than oatmeal. All these benefits with only about 130 to 160 calories!

Sweet Potato Nutrition Facts  (for one medium size sweet potato)

    Calories 130
    Fat 0.39 g
    Protein 2.15 g
    Net Carbs 31.56 g
    Dietary Fiber 3.9 g
    Calcium 28.6 mg
    Sodium 16.9 mg
    Potassium 265.2 mg
    Folate 18.2 mcg
    Vitamin C 29.51 mg
    Vitamin A 26081.9 IU
    Source: US Department of Agriculture
    See also: Sweet Potato Antioxidants

Among root vegetables, sweet potatoes offer the lowest glycemic index rating. That’s because the sweet potato digests slowly, causing a gradual rise in blood sugar so you feel satisfied longer. It’s time to move sweet potatoes to the "good" carb list. Many of the most popular diets these days have already.
(See also: Sweet Potato Recipes)

SWEET POTATO NUTRITIONAL ASPECTS AND POPULAR DIETS

South Beach Diet
For the nearly 12 million Americans counting carbohydrates as part of the Atkins or South Beach plans, the glycemic index plays a critical part in determining acceptable foods. The index ranks how quickly the body converts carbohydrates into sugar; the lower the glycemic index in a food, the less it will cause weight gain. Sweet potatoes rank significantly lower than white potatoes in the glycemic index, which explains why both carb-counting diets encourage substituting yams for Idaho potatoes. Sweet potatoes are introduced in the later phases of these diets as an acceptable food because they are nutrient-rich.

Atkins Diet
The Atkins Diet recommends introducing 10 grams of carbs in Phase 3 of the diet plan. Sweet potatoes have 10 grams of carbohydrates for every 1/4 cup. Sweet potatoes are on the safe list as a great substitute for other starches such as rice, potatoes and corn.

Sugarbusters Diet
The popular "Sugarbusters" diet that swept the nation is also a strong advocate of including sweet potatoes in a healthy diet. The Sugarbusters diet recommends sweet potatoes as a great substitute for other foods high in sugar and carbohydrates such as rice, pasta and corn.

One of the Sugarbusters book's authors reports that the part of a carrot that's healthy is the beta carotene necessary for visual activity and needed for the retina that's found in the pigment, not the fleshy part of the carrot that's full of sugar. You can also get the beta carotene from sweet potatoes, which are not full of sugar.

Louisiana Sweet Potato Commission, Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry
- www.sweetpotato.org

http://www.foodreference.com/html/sweet-pot-nutrition.html

Friday, June 14, 2013

12 Foods All Nutritionists Eat

Even the experts can't come to a consensus on the best diet tips to follow. (Eat like a caveman! Fast two days a week! No fruit! Only fruit!) But these are the picks every dietitian stashes in her kitchen for energy, health, and a great-looking bod. By Meghan Rabbitt, REDBOOK.

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Avocados
"Every dietitian I know agrees that avocados are a must-eat food. They are a great source of healthy fats, which help fill you up so you'll be less likely to want a snack later on. Plus, they taste really decadent. I love putting avocado slices on my salad; research shows that it helps your body absorb nutrients. And they are the perfect food if you're on the go. When I fly, I stash an avocado in my carry-on. I cut it in half, sprinkle on a little salt and pepper, grab a few crackers, and I've got a perfect plane snack." -Carolyn Brown, a registered dietitian at Foodtrainers in New York City 

Almond milk
"No matter what we think about dairy, most of us agree that it's too easy to overdo. Yogurt, cheese-even that whey protein in an energy bar is dairy. It sneaks into more than you might expect. That's why R.D.'s love unsweetened almond milk. It has a consistency similar to cow's milk but half the calories-and you still get vitamin E. I love using almond milk in smoothies, and I also swap it for milk when I make oatmeal and pudding." -Carolyn Brown

Cinnamon
"This is one of those powerhouse spices every R.D. tries to work into her diet. Research shows that just half a teaspoon a day can help regulate blood sugar-and when our blood sugar drops, we feel hungry, so cinnamon can curb your appetite. I add a teaspoon to my coffee beans before I grind them; it infuses my coffee with flavor and health benefits." -Jennifer McDaniel, a registered dietitian nutritionist in St. Louis and an Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics spokesperson

Dark berries
"A bowl of berries is what most nutritionists have when they're craving something sweet. Berries are jam-packed with fiber, vitamins, and antioxidants-crucial for aging well. We favor super-dark berries, like blueberries and blackberries, because they have the highest doses of those powerful antioxidants." -Keri Glassman, a dietitian in New York City and author of The New You and Improved Diet

Greek yogurt

"Dieticians are a little obsessed with Greek yogurt, but for good reason: It's got two times the protein and less sugar than regular yogurt; it's filled with probiotics, which help keep your immune system strong; and it's lower in lactose than other dairy-great for someone with lactose intolerance." -Kate Geagan, a dietitian in Park City, UT, and author of Go Green, Get Lean

Eggs
"You'll find a carton of eggs in any R.D.'s fridge, including mine. Eggs have gotten a bad rap due to their cholesterol content, but research shows there's limited evidence linking egg consumption and heart disease. Plus, this protein-rich food has 70 calories, 13 vitamins and minerals, and the anti-inflammatory nutrient choline, which most Americans need." -Jennifer McDaniel

Extra-virgin olive oil
"Dietitians love it when good taste, nutrition, and health meet-and extra-virgin olive oil is a triple win. It's teeming with antioxidants and good-for-you mono unsaturated fats, and it's delicious. I always buy it in a dark-colored bottle; light can oxidize the oil, minimizing some of the health benefits." -Kate Geagan 

Hummus

"This is every nutritionist's 'convenience food.' In just a quarter cup, you get fiber, protein, carbohydrates, and healthy fat from the olive oil." -Jennifer McDaniel 

Nuts
"Too many of my clients steer clear of nuts because they're high in fat, but dietitians eat them because we know that monounsaturated fat, in moderation, can help you maintain your weight or even lose. Almonds and walnuts are my favorites. They satisfy a crunchy craving, and the fat-fiber combo fills me up. Nuts are also loaded with protein, antioxidants, and a variety of vitamins and minerals." -Keri Glassman 

Kale
"If there's one veggie that every nutritionist across the country eats and recommends, it's kale. That's because the leafy green is so nutrient-dense. It's loaded with vitamins K, A, and C, fiber, and calcium. And it's packed with so many cancer-preventative antioxidants and anti-inflammatory nutrients. My favorite way to eat more is making kale chips, a total party favorite and kid pleaser. Just rip up the kale, massage a little olive oil into the leaves, and bake at 375°F for 10 to 15 minutes. They're as good as potato chips!" -Carolyn Brown

Water with lemon
"A lot of my dietitian friends start their day by drinking water with lemon, and it's my morning ritual as well. Unless you're eating mostly whole, plant-based foods, the pH balance in your digestive system is probably on the acidic side. Lemon is very alkaline and helps bring the body back to an ideal balance, which is important for overall health. Plus, downing a big glass of water right after you wake up is a great way to get your digestive system moving." -Carolyn Brown

Quinoa
"Most nutritionists reach for this grain over brown rice or wheat pasta because it's a complete source of protein, which means it has all the essential amino acids your body needs. It also contains more fiber than most grains, with five grams in every cup. And it gets better: Quinoa is packed with plant-based omega-3 fatty acids, which makes it a great way to get those anti-inflammatory fats in your diet." -Jennifer McDaniel

http://shine.yahoo.com/healthy-living/12-foods-nutritionists-eat-142000310.html

Wednesday, June 5, 2013

How to Overcome Your Difficulties

K_Sri_DhammanandaVen. Dr. K. Sri Dhammananda


Worry and Fear

Are you worried? Are you miserable? If so, you are invited to read this booklet. The theme of this booklet is dedicated to you and to those who worry themselves unduly – even unto death!

Worries and miseries are twin evils that go hand in hand. They co-exist in this world. If you feel worried, you are miserable! If you are miserable, you are worried. We must face facts. Although we cannot run away from them, we must not let these twin evils of worry and misery overcome us. We must overcome them. We can do so by our own human efforts, correctly directed with determination and patience. With proper understanding and carefully applied intelligence, we should be able to subdue our emotional feelings and do away with worries and miseries.

Our worries are of our own making. We create them in our own minds, through our inability or failure to understand the danger of our egoistic feelings and our inflated and false values of things. If only we could see things in their proper perspective in that nothing is permanent in this world and that our own egoistic self is our wild imagination running riot in our untrained mind, we should be going a long way to finding the remedy to eradicate our worries and miseries. We must cultivate our minds and hearts to forget about self and to be of service and use to humanity. This is one of the means whereby we can find real peace and happiness.

Many people have longings and hankering, fear and anxieties which they have not learnt to sublimate and are ashamed to admit them even to themselves. But these unwholesome emotions have force. No matter how we may try to bottle them up they seek a release by disordering the physical machinery resulting in chronic illnesses. All these can be repelled by correct methods of meditation or mental culture, because the untrained mind is the main cause of such worries.

Whenever you have worries in your mind, don’t show your sulky face to each and every person you come across. You should reveal your worries only to those who really can help you. How nice it would be if you could maintain your smiling face in spite of all the difficulties confronting you. This is not very difficult if only you really try. Many teenagers worry too much when their friendship with the opposite sex is lost. They often plan even to commit suicide compelled by the plight of frustration and disappointment. Some find place in lunatic asylums. Many such broken-hearted youths lead miserable lives. All these unfortunate events happen due to a lack of understanding the real nature of life. Somehow or other departure or separation is unavoidable. This may happen sometimes at the beginning of a life career; sometimes in the middle and sometimes at the end; it is certainly unavoidable. When such things happen one must try to find out where the cause lies. However, if the separation is beyond control one must have the courage to bear it out by realising the nature of life. But on the other hand it is not difficult for anyone to find new friends, to fill the vacuum if one really wants to.

“Wheresoever fear arises, it arises in the fool, not in the wise man” says the Buddha. Fears are nothing more than states of mind. One’s state of mind is subject to control and direction; the negative use of thoughts produces out fears; the positive use realises our hopes and ideals, and in these cases the choice rests entirely with ourselves. Every human being has the ability to completely control his own mind. Nature has endowed man with absolute control over but one thing, and that is thought. This fact, coupled with the additional fact that everything which man creates begins in the form of a thought, leads one very near to the principle by which fear may be mastered.

A noted British anatomist was once asked by a student what was the best cure for fear, and he answered, “Try doing something for someone”.

The student was considerably astonished by the reply, and requested further enlightenment whereupon his instructor said, “You can’t have two opposing sets of thoughts in your mind at one and the same time”. One set of thoughts will always drive the other out. If, for instance, your mind is completely occupied with an unselfish desire to help someone else, you can’t be harbouring fear at the same time.

“Worry dries up the blood sooner than the age.” Fears, worries and anxieties in moderation are natural instincts of self-preservation. But constant fear and prolonged worry are unfailing enemies to the human organism. They derange the normal bodily functions.

If you have learned how to please others, you always will be in a good mood. This is because your mind does not allow worries to be accommodated in it.

The Voice of Nature

For the sake of material gain modern man does not listen to the voice of nature. His mental activities are so preoccupied with his future happiness that he neglects the needs of his physical body and entirely forgets the present moment for what it is worth. This unnatural behaviour of contemporary man is that immediate result of his wrong conceptions of World Order, of human life and its ultimate purpose. It is the cause of all the frustration, anxiety, fear and insecurity of our present times. One who really likes to have peace should not disturb another man’s freedom. It is a wrong method to seek happiness by disturbing and deceiving others.

“You can deceive some of the people all the time, and all the people some of the time, but you cannot deceive all of the people all of the time.” (Abraham Lincoln)

If man is cruel and wicked, always lives against the laws of nature and the cosmos; through his acts, words and thoughts, he pollutes the whole atmosphere. As a result of such misdeeds and thoughts, nature may not produce things which man requires for his living but instead man may be faced with epidemics and various kinds of disasters.

If, on the other hand, man lives in accordance with this natural law, leads a righteous way of life, purifies the atmosphere through the merits of his virtues and radiates his loving kindness towards other living beings, he can change the atmosphere in order to bring about better results for the happiness of man.

You may be a very modern busy man, but don’t forget to spend at least a few minutes a day in reading some valuable books. This habit will give you a lot of relief and enable you to forget your worries and to develop your mind. At the same time you have to remember that you have a religion also. Religion is for your own benefit. Therefore it is your duty to think about your religion and to spare a few minutes a day for the performance of your religious duties.

Mental health and Criminal Tendencies

In relation to health, it is not T. B., or even cancer, that is the most alarming of the ailments of our age. T. B. is now almost under control, and there is every hope that a cure for cancer will be found in the near future. Actually, the most alarming of all is the prevalence and increase in all kinds of mental ailments and disturbances. We are forced to build more and more hospitals and institutions for the mentally sick and neuroses of various kinds. There are many more who do not receive any treatment, but who are in need of it badly.

It may be asked why the criminal element within our society is mentioned in the same breath with the mentally afflicted. One of the positive and far-reaching results stemming directly from the research work of Freud is the recognition that criminals and delinquents are also mentally sick people, more in need of treatment than punishment. It is this liberal outlook on the problem that lays the basis of all “progressive” social reform, and opens up the way for reclamation rather than revenge.

Know Thy Neighbour

We never see how other people live; we may not even know anything about the lives of people of different social levels from ourselves or of lesser or greater wealth. If we are healthy we cannot know what it is like to be sick and if we are invalids we cannot understand the energy of the strong.

Such lack of experience makes for intolerance, because tolerance is born only of understanding and without experience there can be no understanding. Hence it is a good thing for us to get as wide an experience as is possible of all aspects of life, and especially to travel and let us make sure we do not always travel in luxury!

Man’s Unhappiness

Buddha taught that all man’s unhappiness comes from wanting the wrong sort of things, the pleasures that money can buy, power over other men, and, most important of all, to go on living forever after one is dead. The desire for these things makes people selfish, he said, so that they come to think only of themselves, want things only for themselves, and not mind overmuch what happens to other people. And since they do not get all their wishes, they are restless and discontented. The only way to avoid this restlessness is to get rid of the desires that cause it. This is very difficult; but when a man achieves it, he reaches a state of perfection and calm.

* We did not enjoy pleasures but were ourselves overcome by pleasures (i.e. by endless anxiety in seeking those pleasures all our energies were sapped). We suffer more than we enjoy in seeking the pleasures of this phenomenal world.

Time Will Heal Our Wounds

Trouble passes. What has caused you to burst into tears today will soon be forgotten; you may remember that you cried but it is unlikely that you will remember what you cried about! As we grow up and go through life, if we remember this we shall often be surprised to find how we lie awake at night brooding something that has happened to upset us during the day, or how we nurse resentment against someone and keep on letting the same thoughts run through our minds about how we are going to have our own back against the person who has harmed us. We may fall into a rage over something and later wonder what it was we were so angry about. And being surprised, we can realise what a waste of time and energy it has all been, and how we have deliberately gone on being unhappy when we could have stopped it and started to think about something else.

Whatever our troubles, however grievous they may appear, time will heal our wounds. But surely there must be something we can do to prevent ourselves from being hurt in the first place. Why should we allow people and troubles to drain our energy and make us unhappy? The answer is, of course, that they do not, it is we who make ourselves unhappy.

You may have had some trouble in your office or the place where you work but you should not bring or extend such troubles to your home and create a bad atmosphere.

You should realise that there is a cure or an end to those problems and troubles which are to be found by achieving freedom from our selfish desires and by eradicating all forms of confusion and ignorance.

Whenever we fail to find a solution to any problem, we are inclined to find a scapegoat, someone against whom we can vent our grievance. We are not prepared to admit our own shortcomings. We feel it is easier to put the blame on others and to nurture a grievance against someone. In fact, some of us take pleasure in so doing. This is a completely wrong attitude. We must not show resentment or to be angry towards others. We should do our utmost, painstakingly and calmly, to resolve our own problems. We must be prepared to face up to any difficulties that we may encounter.

Happiness and Materialism

Many people believe they can solve all their problems if only they have money; but they fail to realise that money itself has its attendant problems. Money alone cannot solve all problems.

Many people never learn this and all their lives they rush about using all their energy trying to collect may more “gadgets”, and when they have them they find that these do not satisfy them, but they must have other “things and more gadgets”. In fact, the more they have the more they desire to have; so they can never be happy or content.

The following advice gives us tremendous consolation to make up our mind when we lose something:-

“Say not that this is yours and that is mine,
Just say, this came to you and that to me,
So we may not regret the fading shine,
Of all the glorious things which ceased to be.”

Wealth is not something for you to dump somewhere and to crave for. It is for you to make use of for your welfare as well as others. If you spend your time by only clinging to your property without even fulfilling your obligations towards your country, your people and your religion you may find that when the time comes for you to leave, this world will still be plagued with worries. You will not be benefited with that property which you have so painstakingly collected.

To hope for wealth and gain through gambling is like hoping for shelter from the sun through the clouds, whereas to hope for progress and prosperity through diligence in work is like building a permanent house as a shelter from the sun and rain.

“Your property will remain when you die. Your friends and relatives will follow you up to your grave. But only good or bad actions you have done during your life-time will follow you beyond the grave.”

Many things that we hope will give us pleasure are disappointing when we get them, like the three wishes in the fairy tale, it sounds nice to have a lot of money but if we get it we may find that it brings us worry in deciding how to use it or how to protect it, or we may be led to act foolishly. The rich man begins to wonder if his friends value him for himself or for his money, and this is another form of mental sorrow. And there is always the fear of losing what we have, whether it be possessions or some beloved person. So when we are honest and look closely at what we call “happiness” we find that it is a kind of mirage in the mind, never fully grasped, never complete, or at the best, accompanied by fear of loss.

Your wealth can decorate only your house but not you. Only your own virtue can decorate you. Your dress can decorate your body but not you. Only your good conduct can decorate you.

The method that people should adopt to gain happiness must be a harmless one. There is no meaning in enjoying happiness by causing suffering to another person or any other living being. Buddha says: “Blessed are they who earn their living without harming others.”

“Happiness is a perfume you cannot pour on others without getting a few drops on yourself.”

You may not be able to change the world according to your wishes but you may be able to change your heart to find happiness.

It is only when you have suffered through doing good that you can achieve a greater happiness than others.

“If we want to find happiness, let us stop thinking about gratitude or ingratitude and give for the inner joy of giving. Ingratitude is natural-like weeds. Gratitude is like a rose. It has to be fed, watered and cultivated and loved and protected.” (D. Carnegie).

Control Your Mind

Man’s mind influences his body profoundly. If allowed to function the viciously and entertain unwholesome thoughts, mind can cause disaster, can even kill a being; but it can also cure a sick body. When the mind is concentrated on right thoughts with right effort and understanding the effect it can produce is immense. A mind with pure and wholesome thoughts really does lead to healthy relaxed living.

Buddha says: “No enemy can harm one so much as one’s own thoughts of craving, thoughts of hate, thoughts of jealousy and so on.”

A man who does not know how to adjust his mind according to circumstances would be like a corpse in a coffin.

Turn your mind to yourself, and try to find pleasure within yourself, and you will always find therein an infinite source of pleasure ready for your enjoyment.

It is only when the mind is controlled and is kept to the right road of orderly progress that it becomes useful for its possessor and for society. A disorderly mind is a liability both to its owner and to others. All the havoc wrought in the world is created by men who have not learned the way of mind control, balance and poise.

Calmness is not weakness. A calm attitude at all times shows a man of culture. It is not too hard for man to be calm when things are favourable, but to be composed when things are wrong is hard indeed, and it is this difficult quality that is worth achieving; for by such calm and control he builds up strength of character. It is quite wrong to imagine that they alone are strong and powerful who are noisy, garrulous and fussily busy.

Act Wisely

Man must know how to use his youth, wealth, power, energy and knowledge at the proper time, at the proper place and in the proper way for his own benefit, and for the benefit and welfare of the others as well. If he misuses such privileges, it will only cause his own down-fall. “Man must be strong enough to know when he is weak, brave enough to encounter fear, proud and unbending in honest defeat, humble and gently in victory.”

Some people through a sudden stroke of fortune receive a large sum of money or are endowed with some property, or they might inherit a large share of the property from their parents. But amongst them only a very few would know how to preserve and maintain such newly acquired property. Normally property that is easily acquired without their own effort and labour, has no real value to them. Therefore they will start to spend the money on unnecessary things and, very soon, the whole property will be squandered. People must know how to handle their property without wasting it, and for that they must use a little bit of their common sense.

Adjust Ourselves

We are living in an ever changing world. But a very few people realise this fact. One should not cling to the traditions, customs, manners, habits and beliefs, introduced by ancient people and ancestors thinking that he should follow all those traditions forever and ever. If he is going to be so narrow minded then there will be no progress in this society of ours. There may be some good customs amongst them which had been handed down by the ancestors; but one must consider whether these customs are congenial to modern society. On the other hand parents and elderly people conflict with their younger generation. They would like to see their children follow the same old customs and traditions. However this is not a very good attitude to adopt. Allow the children to move with the times if it is harmless. Parents only have to remember how their own parents had objected to certain modern ways of living prevalent at the time when they were young. This conflict between the conservative people and the younger generation is not a very healthy attitude towards the progress of society. Of course, if children go astray due to misguidance of modern society then parents should counsel and guide them.

You must learn how to tolerate the other man’s views and customs even though you do not like them. Here, to tolerate does not mean that you have to follow his ideas and ideals.

Every man is a part of the world of man, and is responsible for what goes on in it. He must be concerned as to whether or not society is becoming more humanised. He must ask what he himself is doing to bring about a better order of things. This is the ethical view by which life takes on a serious aspect is given an incentive. Such a life is the really happy life. Then we become commendably, constructively discontented with the present order of things, and proceed happily to do something about it.

Healthy Atmosphere

However bitter may be the joke and remarks directed at you by others, like a wise man you too must answer them with another joke without an unhealthy atmosphere.

When you play a game don’t show your temper if you are losing the game; by doing so you not only spoil the pleasure of others but you will in the end completely lose the game.

You cannot correct each and every person in this world in order to achieve peace in the same way as you cannot remove the world of stones and thorns to walk smoothly. One who wants to walk on * smooth ground must wear a pair of shoes. Likewise, one who wants to have a peace of mind, must know how to guard his own senses.

There are various ways to correct a person if he is wrong. By criticising, blaming and shouting at him publicly, you cannot correct him; you must know how to correct him without humiliating him. Many people make more enemies by criticising others. If you can tell him kindly, with the intention of correcting him, he will certainly listen to you and some day he will thank you for your guidance and kindness.

Whenever you express your views regarding certain matters, always try to use words which would not hurt the feelings of others. There are various ways of expressing you views either gently or politely or even diplomatically.

You should not lose your temper when your faults are pointed out. You may think that by showing temper and shouting at others you can suppress or overcome your shortcomings. It is a false and wrong attitude to adopt.

You should not reveal the personal secrets of a former friend which were confided to you even though you are not in good terms with him. If you do so, others will look down upon you and will never accept you as a sincere man.

Be Unbiased

You should not come to any hasty decision regarding any matter when you are in a bad mood or when provoked by someone, not even when you are in a good mood influenced by emotion, because at such a time the state of your mind is emotional and any decision or conclusion reached during such a period would be a matter you could one day regret. Allow your mind to calm down first and think over it, then your judgement will be an unbiased one.

Cultivate tolerance; for tolerance helps you to avoid hasty judgements, to sympathise with other people’s troubles, to avoid captious criticism, to realise that even the finest human being is not infallible; the weakness you find in your neighbours can be found in your own self.

Humility

Humility is the wise man’s measuring-rod for learning the difference between what is and what is yet to be. “The Buddha himself started his ministry by discarding all his princely pride in an act of self-humiliation. He attained sainthood during his life, but never lost his naturalness, never assumed superior airs. His dissertations and parable were never pompous. He had time for the most humble of men. He never lost his sense of humour.”

Don’t Waste Your Time

To waste a man’s existence in grieving over the past, and in idleness and heedlessness is to show his unfitness for the noble place he holds thus inviting his bad kamma to relegate him to a place befitting his unworthiness. Bear this strongly in your mind, and do good while life lasts. By wasting your time you injure not only yourself but also others, for your time is as much others’ as it is yours.

Patience and Tolerance

Be patient with all. Anger leads one through a pathless jungle. While it irritates and annoys others it also hurts oneself, weakens the physical frame and disturbs the mind. A harsh word, like an arrow discharged from a bow, can never be taken back even if you would offer a thousand apologies for it.

Certain creatures cannot see in the day-time whilst some others are blind at night. But a man driven to great heights of hatred does not observe anything, either by day or night.

With whom and with what do you fight when you are angry? You fight with yourself, for you are the worst enemy of yourself. Mind is your best friend and worst foe. You must try to kill the passion of lust, hatred and ignorance that are latent in your mind by means or morality, concentration and wisdom.

Some varieties of heart trouble, rheumatic disorders, and skin diseases are traceable to chronic resentment, hatred and jealously *. Such destructive feelings poison the cockles of the heart. They foster the development of latent disease tendencies and invite disease microbes.

Returning Good for Evil

If you want to get rid of your enemies you should first kill your anger which is the greatest enemy within you.

On the other hand if you are going to be perturbed hearing from your enemies, it means you are fulfilling the wishes of your enemies by unknowingly entering into their trap.

You should not think that you can only learn something from only those who praise and help you and associate with you very closely. There are many things that you could learn from your enemies also; you should not think they are entirely wrong just because they happen to be your enemies. They may also possess certain good qualities.

You won’t be able to get rid of your enemies by returning evil for evil. If you do that then you will be inviting only more enemies. The best and the most correct method of overcoming your enemies is* by radiating your kindness towards them. You may think that this is impossible or something nonsensical. But this method is very highly appreciated by every cultured man. When you come to know that there is someone who is very angry with you, you should first try to find out the main cause of that enmity; if it is due to you mistake you should admit it and should not hesitate to apologise to him. If it is due to certain misunderstandings between you both you must have a heart to heart talk with him and try to enlighten him. If it is due to jealousy or some other emotional feeling you must try to radiate your loving kindness towards him so that you will be able to influence him through your mental waves. You may not be able to understand how it works but through the experience of many people it shows that this is the most powerful, intelligent and easiest method which is very highly recommended in the Buddhist religion. Of course, to do this, you must have confidence and patience in yourself. By doing this you will be able to make your enemy understand that he is in the wrong; besides you are also benefited in various ways for not accommodating enmity in your heart.

Loving Kindness

As long as there is one single fellow creature whom you can console by kind words, whom you can enliven and cheer by your presence, whom you can relieve by your worldly possessions, however scanty that charity may be, you are a precious possession to the human race and you should never be disheartened or depressed.

There may be times when those whom you love do not seem to care for you and you are apt to feel heavy at heart. But there is no just cause for dejection. What does it matter if other are not grateful to you or do not care for you, as long as you know that you are full of tender heartedness for others, full of loving compassion to your fellow men? One should never depend on others for one’s happiness. He who expects to secure satisfaction in life from others is worse than the beggar who kneels and cries for his daily bread.

Drunkenness

Drunkenness expels reason,
Drowns memory,
Defaces the brain,
Diminishes strength,
Inflames the blood,
Causes external and internal incurable wounds.
Is a witch to the body,
A devil to the mind,
A thief to the purse,
The beggar’s curse,
The wife’s woe,
The children’s sorrow,
The picture of a beast,
And self murder,
Who drinks to other’s health,
And robs himself of his own.

Its final result can never be anything but utter physical and moral degradation.

The Drug Menace

Alcohol has been described as one of the prime causes of man’s physical and moral degradation. Currently another more vicious form of abuse, that of harmful and dangerous drugs, as contained in heroin, hashish and various other forms, have shown their ugly heads, causing much more serious human and social problems to the well-being of humanity. This problem is now world-wide. Its repercussions are more serious and deadly than that of alcohol. Thefts, robberies, sexual crimes and swindling of vast magnitude have taken place due to the pernicious influence of the drug. Murders have been committed and families have been decimated by drug addicts.

Countless millions of hard-earned dollars have been spent by Government throughout the world to rid the addicts of their evil habits and to rehabilitate them but the maddening craze persists. It is our bounden duty, as dutiful citizens, to help in whatever manner we can, through our religious and social organisations, to eradicate this dreadful and obnoxious habit and to prevent our children from ever getting near to it. Life as a drug addict is a life of torture and hell on earth, leading to an early grave.

As human being we should be able to exercise our self-control and to distinguish between what is good and evil. Keep away from the drug menace and help others to do so. That will be the greatest service to humanity.

Live Harmoniously

World history tells us that racial discrimination, colour bar, religious fanaticism and greed for political power and wealth have created enormous misfortunes, miseries and troubles in this world and have taken a heavy toll of lives in a cruel way. These issues have never contributed anything towards peace and happiness. People who are thirsty for power and wealth and intoxicated with jealously* always create troubles and often try to justify their cruel acts by talking nonsense and by offending others. We are living in a world which is physically united and mentally divided.

You Create Heaven and Hell Here

“If you want to live in this world peacefully and happily, allow others also to live peacefully and happily, so that you can make this world something which is worthy of life.” Unless and until you adjust yourself to live according to these noble principles you cannot expect happiness and peace in this world. You cannot expect this happiness and peace from heaven simply by praying. If you act according to moral principles you can create your own heaven right here in this world. If not you also can see the hell-fire on this earth itself. Not knowing how to live according to this natural and cosmic law, we always grumble when troubles confront us. If each man tries to adjust himself without grumbling and criticising others we can enjoy real heavenly bliss better than the one that some people dream of existing in far beyond above. There is no need to create a heaven elsewhere to reward a virtue, or a hell to punish vice; virtue and evil have inevitable reactions in this world itself. Your faith is immaterial in this respect. This is the highest way that you can help in the welfare of your society and your country. Today, human society has developed up to this level because of this understanding and harmony of some people who have sympathy and tolerance towards the happiness and progress of others. Now you can realise why we should practice morality. On the other hand, you must understand that by helping others morally, you help yourself and by helping yourself morally you help others also.

“We live and work and dream,
Each has his little scheme,
Sometimes we laugh;
Sometimes we cry;
And thus the days go by.”

Happily Married Life

In a true marriage, man and women think more of the Partnership than they do of themselves. It is an interweaving of interests and a facing of sacrifice together for the sake of both.

A feeling of security and contentment comes from mutual efforts.

Most of the trouble and worries occuring* amongst husband and wife, parents and children, their relatives and friends are due to misunderstanding and impatience. The husband should not treat the wife as a servant. Although he is the bread-winner of the family, it is his duty whenever he is free to help his wife in the household. On the other hand the wife should not always nag or grumble at her husband whenever there is any shortage at home. She should not also be suspicious of her husband. If he really has some weakness she could correct him by talking it over with him kindly. A wife has to tolerate a lot of things without bothering her husband. A husband also has to act wisely.

Marriage is a blessing but many people turn their married life into a curse due to lack of understanding, tolerance and patience. Poverty is not the main cause of an unhappy married life. Husband and wife must learn to share the pleasure and pain of everything in their daily life. Mutual understanding is the secret of a happy family life.

Accept Criticism

Sweetness is sickness, bitterness is medicine. Praise is like a sweet, excess of which cause sickness. And criticism is like a bitter pill or a painful injection which cures sickness. We must have the courage to welcome criticism and not to be afraid of it.

“The ugliness we see in others
Is a reflection of our own nature”

A man’s individual life, circumstances and world are a reflection of his own thoughts and beliefs. All men are mirrors reflecting according to their own surface. All men, looking at the world of men and things, are looking into a mirror which gives back their own reflection.

Mind Your Own Business

How nice it is, if you can attend to your own affairs without too much of interference to with other’s business. Here is the advice given by the Buddha:

“One should not regard the faults of others, thing done and left undone by others, but one’s own deeds of commission and omission.”

Again the Buddha says: “He who is observant of other’s faults, and is always irritable his own defilements increase. He is far from the destruction of defilement.”

Further he says: “Easy to see the faults of others; but one’s own is difficult to see. One winnows other’s faults life chaff; but one’ own hides as a crafty fowler covers himself.”

“The noble swerve not from the right path, let happen what may and crave no longer after worldly joys. The wise remain clam and constant in mind alike in joy and in sorrow.”

No one can live in this world without being blamed and criticised by others. Buddha says:

“People blame others for their silence. They blame those who talk much and those in moderation. There is therefore no one in this world who is not blamed.” Further He says: “There never was, nor will be, nor is there now any one who is wholly blamed or wholly praised." Not all those who criticise you are your enemies. You can make use of the opportunity to find out your own weaknesses which you yourself cannot see.

You should not give up good work just because of criticism. If you have the courage to carry out your good work is spite of criticisms, you are indeed a great man and could succeed everywhere.

Don’t Worry

The secret of happy, successful living lies in doing what needs to be done now, and not worrying about the past and the future. We cannot go back into the past and reshape it nor can we anticipate everything that may happen in the future. There is but one moment of time over which we have some conscious control and that is the present.

Many people just worry by thinking about their future. If they have learned to adjust themselves according to the circumstances of their daily life there is no reason for them to be worried. Whatever castles they may build in the air, whatever dreams they may have in their mind, they must always remember that they are living in this world of constant changes.

Be Good

“There is no stars which we could trust,
There is no guiding light,
And we know that we must,
BE GOOD, BE JUST, BE RIGHT.”

Pillars of Success

Failures are but the pillars of success. To learn by our failures is to achieve success. To never have failed is never have won. Unless we experience failure and its attendant forces, we shall not be able to appreciate to the full a victory.

It becomes merely a turn in events that is of little or no interest to us. Failures not only help us to success, but to make us kind, sympathetic, understanding and rich in experience.

The Real Beauty

If one is born ugly, no matter how ugly his face may be, if he cultivate love, that love will give him an inward eternal charm which emanate outwardly and parade his whole being with that supernatural charm which will make him attractive because charm is the real beauty and not the shape or colour of the face.

We take the most handsome looking person. Sometimes people may not be attracted towards him or her because his or her beauty may be disfigured by the conceit or pride in his or her own beauty. Take the person who is ugly but is over flowing with boundless loving-kindness and speaks gently and politely, treats others kindly and you will see how attractive that person will be to everybody.

Peaceful End

Men are disturbed not by things, but by the notions they form concerning things. Death for example, is not in itself, terrible; the terror resides only in our mind. Insistence upon the truth of suffering may seem morbid to the mind unable to face facts, but it serves to prick the balloon of happiness.”

Love of life on earth stimulates the unnatural morbid fear of death. It creates the hypochondriac, the man who will never take risks even for the right. He lives in terror that some illness or accident will snuff out his insignificant little life here. Realisation that death is inevitable, an irrational terror of the inevitable will shock the earth lover into a passionate hope for the survival of his soul in a heaven. No man can be happy in such a tempest of fear and hope. It is hard to despise and ignore these manifestations of the instinct for self-preservation. There is, however, a sure method of overcoming it. This is to forget the self in service for other people; it is to turn one’s love from inwards to outwards. Become engrossed in helping others and you will forget you own morbid, selfish attachments and hopes, pride and self-righteousness.

Everybody likes to have a peaceful death after fulfilling his lifetime of duties and obligations. But how many people have prepared the round for such an event? How many people take the trouble to fulfil their duties towards their family, relatives, friends, country, Religion and nation? If a man dies without fulfilling any of these duties surely it is very difficult ultimately for such a person to have a peaceful death.

Many people are afraid of dead bodies. But living bodies are more dangerous than dead bodies. More people were defeated and frightened by living bodies than lifeless dead bodies.


Source: ksridhammananda.com

Monday, June 3, 2013

Want to Live Longer? Eat a Plant-Based Diet

To stave off death by a few extra years, a vegetarian diet appears to be superior to a non-vegetarian one, according to results of a study of more than 73,000 people published today (June 3) in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).

The study, the largest of its kind, compared the longevity of meat eaters to that of four types of vegetarians: vegans, who eat no animal products; lacto-ovo–vegetarians, who consume dairy products and eggs; pesco-vegetarians, who eat fish but rarely meat; and semi-vegetarians, who eat meat no more than once weekly.

The winners, in terms of cheating death the longest, were the pesco-vegetarians, followed by vegans, and then the lacto-ovo-vegetarians. The vegetarian groups, on average, had a 12 percent lower risk of dying over the study period compared to meat eaters. The study participants were all members of the Seventh-Day Adventist church.

Previous studies have shown that vegetarian diets are associated with decreased risk of numerous chronic diseases, such as Type 2 diabetes, obesity, metabolic syndrome, circulatory disease and hypertension.

And it's been long known that Seventh-Day Adventists — with their healthy lifestyle that shuns tobacco and espouses exercise and a plant-based diet — live longer that the general population. Seventh-Day Adventists in California live, on average, four to seven years longer than other Californians, an earlier study revealed. [Extending Life: 7 Ways to Live Past 100]

Researchers have had difficulty, however, in discerning between associations, and cause-and-effect links. Is it the absence of meat, or the presence of a health-conscious attitude shared by many vegetarians, or both, that leads to healthier outcomes?

A healthy lifestyle

This newest study is unique in that it only looked at Seventh-Day Adventists, a group relatively similar in their lifestyle. The Adventist Church recommends, but does not mandate, a plant-based diet.

The researchers, led by Dr. Michael J. Orlich of Loma Linda University in California (a Seventh-Day Adventist institution), analyzed the diets of 73,308 Seventh-Day Adventists. Among the participants, 2,570 died within about six years of the initial data collection. Those most likely to have died were the meat eaters.

The pesco-vegetarians were 19 percent less likely to die over the study period than the meat eaters, and vegans were 15 percent less likely. Men benefited more than women from the vegetarian diet.

"We can be pretty confident that the vegetarian groups fared better than the non-vegetarians, but we cannot meaningfully compare the vegetarian groups to each other," Orlich told LiveScience. "The numbers are far too close to speculate. We hope to be able to do that in a few years when we have more [statistical] power" with more deaths to analyze.

The strengths of the study were that it demonstrated that vegan and other vegetarian diets are safe and that a range of vegetarian diets — from strict to somewhat lax — appears to be healthier than a diet dominated by processed foods and meats, according to Dr. Robert Baron of the University of California, San Francisco, who wrote an editorial accompanying the new findings in the journal.

The American diet

Referring to a generally unhealthy American diet, Baron wrote that limiting "sugars and sugary drinks, refined grains, and large amounts of saturated and trans fats" and eating more fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, and nuts "trumps the more narrow goals of whether to include moderate amounts of dairy, eggs, fish, or even meat."

"I do not think that we all necessarily need to be vegans or other types of vegetarians" to be healthy, Baron told LiveScience. "But I do think that the world would ultimately be a better place without certain industrially produced foods, including beef.

A second study published today, by researchers at Johns Hopkins University in the American Journal of Epidemiology, found that a combination of regular exercise, a Mediterranean diet, smoking avoidance, and weight maintenance was associated with a lower risk of coronary artery disease. The Mediterranean diet emphasizes fruits, vegetables, nuts, fish, and healthy fats.

"Those who adopted all four healthy behaviors had an 80 percent lower death rate [over 7.6 years], compared to participants with none of the healthy behaviors," lead author Haitham Ahmed of Johns Hopkins Hospital said in a statement.

The JAMA study on Seventh-Day Adventists does conflict with a large analysis published in 2009 based on the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC-Oxford) study, which found identical death rates between vegetarians and non-vegetarians.

The researchers at Loma Linda University acknowledged this in their paper, but noted that the Seventh-Day Adventists in their study ate differently than the Europeans in the 2009 study. For example, the Adventist vegans consumed nearly twice as much dietary fiber and vitamin C as the European vegans.

Orlich added that "even our non-vegetarians are relatively low meat consumers, and relatively health conscious. If we were comparing our vegetarian groups to the average American diet, we might find more striking results."

Christopher Wanjek is the author of a new novel, "Hey, Einstein!", a comical nature-versus-nurture tale about raising clones of Albert Einstein in less-than-ideal settings. His column, Bad Medicine, appears regularly on LiveScience.

Copyright 2013 LiveScience, a TechMediaNetwork company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

http://news.yahoo.com/want-live-longer-eat-plant-based-diet-202351774.html

Organic Chia Seeds

chiaseeds

Organic Chia seeds (Salvia hispanica) are extremely high in Omega 3 and are loaded with antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, and fiber. Chia seeds can be eaten raw as a dietary fiber and omega 3 supplement. The soaked seeds are gelatinous in texture and are used in gruels, porridges and puddings. Ground chia seed is used in baked goods including breads, cakes and biscuits.

The Chia seeds are organic, raw, Non-GMO, non-irradiated, and produced in the wild without pesticides.

30% of Chia seed oil is Omega 3 oil. 10% of its oil is Omega 6 oil. This is the perfect balance of essential fatty acids.

Chia seeds are great for athletes because they are highly hydrophilic, meaning they can absorb large amounts of water. They can hold 10 times their weight in water making them a great enhancer in hydrating our bodies.

Studies show that eating chia seed slows down how fast our bodies convert carbohydrate calories into simple sugars. This leads scientists to believe that the chia seed may have great benefits for diabetics.

The chia seed gels when becoming wet and this gel, when in our digestive systems, helps prevent some of the food, hence calories that we eat from getting absorbed into our system. This blockage of calorie absorption makes the chia seed a great diet helper. Eating the seeds also helps dieters by making them feel fuller faster so they will be less hungry.

You do not need to grind the Chia Seeds to digest it. It is a relatively easy to digest seed, whereas flax seeds are not. Often, one has to grind flax seeds to be able to process them in their digestive system. That is not the case with chia seeds.

Chia seeds can be eaten raw as a dietary fiber and omega 3 supplement. Chia seeds soaked in water or fruit juice are also often consumed and is known in Mexico as chia fresca. The soaked seeds are gelatinous in texture and are used in gruels, porridges and puddings. Ground chia seed is used in baked goods including breads, cakes and biscuits.

image

http://www.nuts.com/cookingbaking/chia-seeds/organic.html?gclid=CO-A0s_hyLcCFUyi4AoduBUAtg

You can add 2 teaspoons of chia seeds to bottle water, shake well, wait for 30 minutes and drink it.

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