8 Super Food Swaps for Longevity:

Trying to change your habits and routines can be daunting, even when you know the changes are for the better. Try these 8 simple switches below to slim down and live a long and healthy life.

1. Swap green tea for coffee
For many people, the first thing they reach for in the morning is coffee. Caffeine acts as a CNS (central nervous system) stimulant, causing you to experience stress, anxiety, a racing mind, and even insomnia. For a calmer energy boost, cut the coffee and go for green tea. On average, a cup of green tea contains about one sixth of the amount of caffeine you would get from the same cup of coffee. Even better, green tea is full of powerful antioxidants that ward off cancer, and tea is a proven preventive and treatment for atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries). Also, when combined with exercise, green tea can help you lose weight.

2. Try trailmix in place of fatty snacks
Carry dried fruits and nuts with you as healthy snacks to replace any unhealthy ones you usually eat. Just a handful every day can help improve circulation and muscle tone. Research shows that many of these nuts and seeds are rich sources of vitamin E, lignans, and omega-3 fatty acids, which help prevent heart disease and protect you from the ravages of aging.

3. Switch brown rice for white rice
Modern staples around the world often include refined bread, pasta, rice, and corn. These carbohydrates that have been found to be the culprits in serious conditions like diabetes, stroke, and heart disease, arthritis, and allergies. And there is no question that refined carbohydrates contribute directly to weight gain. So change to whole grains to get complex carbohydrates; said another way, swap "white" for "brown". Substitute white rice, bread, and pasta with brown rice, whole wheat bread, and whole wheat pasta. Other "browns" will bring you anti-aging benefits also. Quinoa and amaranth are two tasty grains rich in protein and easy to cook. Millet, sorghum, and buckwheat are packed with B vitamins.


4. Swap fish for red meat
Red meat does have some health benefits-when eaten in moderation. However, studies have shown that men and women who eat meat every day are three times as likely to develop breast cancer and prostate cancer as those who almost never eat high-fat animal foods. Of all animal products, fish is the healthiest because of its high protein and low-fat content. The omega-3 fatty acids in fish, along with other nutrients, protect blood vessels from plaque, reduce inflammation, and prevent high blood pressure. If you just can't leave the red meat behind, choose only free-range, grass-fed, and hormone- and antibiotic-free lean meat, and eat it no more than three times a week.

5. Use olive oil instead of butter
Butter is the bad kind of fat. Also included in this saturated fat category: peanut oil, coconut oil, palm kernel oil, and lard. All of these elevate cholesterol and triglyceride levels, leading to an increased chance of heart attack and stroke. Switch for olive oil or one of the other monounsaturated fats, which increase good cholesterol and protect you from heart disease and premature skin aging. Others include canola oil, rice bran oil, walnut oil, flaxseed oil, peanut oil, and sesame oil. Like butter on your bread?


6. Swap sweet potatoes for potatoes
While filling, potatoes just do not contain the nutritional benefits of sweet potatoes. Yams and sweet potatoes are powerhouse foods that contain higher amounts of beta-carotene and vitamin C than carrots, more protein than wheat and rice, and more fiber than oat bran. They are also rich in plant DHEA (dehydroepiandrosterone)-a precursor hormone that is essential for the body's anti-aging defenses to work.

7. Swap berries for refined sweets
The average American consumes nearly 240 pounds of sugar per year. Most of the excess sugar from candies, pastries, sodas, and other refined sweets end up being stored as fat in your body, resulting in weight gain and elevating heart disease and cancer risk. Instead, satisfy your sweet tooth with a berry tasty treat: blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, cranberries, and cherries. Berries are rich in antioxidants that fight free radicals and can also help remove toxic residue from the system, which is often the cause of chronic fatigue and low energy.


8. Switch to water in place of soda
Soda pop is very high in phosphorus, which in excess actually causes calcium loss from your bones, possibly leading you to osteoporosis. Diet soda is filled with artificial sweeteners such as aspartame or saccharin, which have shown dangerous results in tests with laboratory animals. Your best beverage is filtered water, which flushes your system of the chemicals and toxins that you encounter every day. If water by itself doesn't appeal, turn to juice and tea. One caution about fruit juice is that it tends to be filled with sugar. Cut back on sugar content by watering down your juice: one part juice to three parts filtered water. Unsweetened herbal tea, brimming with health benefits, is another way to go. For a selection of healthy teas that promote total body wellness, click here.

Make these switches and you are on your way to a healthier you!

" 6 Ways to Prevent Heart Disease......."

6 Ways to Prevent Heart Disease :

Now that more information is being made available to the general public on heart attacks, we know that you could be at risk regardless of whether you're male or female.

You're a likely candidate for a heart attack if you are overweight, sedentary or have high blood pressure and/or high cholesterol.

You may say, so what? We all are going to die someday. Let's face it: There's a wide variety of things that can affect the condition of our heart and lungs like, well, anything we do in excess. There are some things you can do, however, to help prevent heart disease.

Let's take a look at some potential problems:

1) Don't forget high blood pressure. The damage can sometimes be irreparable if the blood pressure is consistently high. Some high blood pressure can be treated with medication but must also include a change in lifestyle such as a fitness plan.

2) Weighing in next is high cholesterol. Again, there is some medicine that can make a difference, but modifications in diet make the biggest impact.

3) Lack of exercise runs hand in hand with heart disease. Daily workouts that range from 20-30 minutes are imperative for a healthy heart.

Let's take a look at some ways to get a healthy heart:

1) Quit smoking. I know first-hand that this is terribly hard to do. I used to smoke at least three to four cigarettes a day. In one of my college classes, Drug Use and Abuse, I learned that nicotine was just as addictive as the top drugs, right up there with LSD and cocaine. I was shocked!

Nicotine has chemicals that severely damage blood vessels and deteriorate lungs, leading to a failed heart, asthma, emphysema, dizziness and others -- this is only a partial listing.

2) Exercise. If you cannot find the time to exercise for a period of more than 20 to 30 minutes each day, did you know that cleaning house is an excellent way to burn calories? Something else that is often overlooked is spot exercising. This doesn't do much for the heart, or at least not as much, but you can spot train by focusing on various body areas in 10-minute segments and, depending on how fast you do them, it is better than doing nothing at all.

3) Use stairs instead of the elevator. If you can walk up and down stairs, do it as opposed to riding the elevator. Stop every third step and do a leg raise by lifting up one leg in the position of a crane (the bird) and lifting up and down on the opposite leg for a count of 10 times. Switch legs and repeat. You can see how these complement in strengthening your heart -- not to mention your leg muscles -- but they would have to be done quickly to get your heart rate up to be considered a cardio workout.

4) Eat healthy. If possible, take a multivitamin. There are so many to choose from that it is best to buy smaller containers first to see if it is the right vitamin for your system. For example, many vitamins do not set well with my system and have a tendency to make me hungry. When I asked the doctor about this, he said to take the vitamin at night. (eDiets has a Heart Health Support supplement pack that you may like to try.)

5) Try to eat more fiber. Fiber can come in fruits, cereals, oats and plenty of other ways. Try to stay away from packaged foods and if you must grab something unhealthy, at least eat an apple or pear afterward to help absorb some of the fat.

6) Eat smaller meals and more frequently. This is easier said than done. However, if you really make a special effort, it can be done and you will see the benefits sooner than you think.

7) Eliminate stress. Has anyone ever told you that you were going to die due to a high stress level? It's true. People in the medical fields have noticed that after devastating emotional trauma (like a layoff or the death of a relative), people are likelier to suffer a heart attack; stress is a major contributing factor.

Of course, the best alternative to stress is to stop doing whatever it is that is causing the problem in the first place.

Often, this is as simple as delegating responsibilities to others. To be able to do this, you have to let go of control and go with the flow. Squash the "perfect" syndrome. You know what I am talking about: the perfect project, meal, house, kids, dog, car, golf game, yard and so on.

Decide today what you can do tomorrow to make your life less stressful. That way, you'll have a successful head start into gaining a healthier heart and a healthier life.

Did you find this post helpful? Continue to these:
-- Heart Health and Stress
-- Heart-Healthy Foods

" 14 Foods That Can Change Your Life......"

14 Foods That Can Change Your Life :

We try to eat healthier in order to improve our health... and because we want to look like a million bucks! But lost in all this diet chatter is that certain foods have a huge impact on your daily well-being.

In fact, their benefits can be so powerful that they help you even if you're doing other things you shouldn't (such as smoking). To help you live longer and healthier, Steven Pratt, M.D., and Kathy Matthews, authors of SuperFoods Rx, have put together the following list of 14 superfoods that can change your life.

1. Blueberries: These little gems have been neglected for many years in favor of other more "popular" fruit.

But now that we know more about antioxidants and how they reverse degenerative diseases, this flavonoid-rich food will have you aging gracefully.

2. Tomatoes: If you don't have a major aversion to them, tomatoes are yet another superfood. Even though tomato season is short, you can get some of the same benefits from ketchup and tomato sauce.

Aside from all the vitamins, tomatoes are disease fighters. They help fight cancer and heart ailments.

3. Salmon: Fish of all kinds are fantastic, and you should try to get some on your plate two to four times a week. Although fish has fat, we now know that not all fats are created equal -- fish has a healthy kind of fat.

For example, salmon is a rich source of omega-3 fatty acids, which can protect against a multitude of diseases including heart disease.

4. Beans: Beans, beans, they're good for your heart. The more you eat, the more you'll... LIVE! It's not just talk. Beans are good for the heart... and a bunch of other things, too.

There's evidence that they prevent cancer, level your blood sugar and give you a sense of being full, which keeps you from overeating.

5. Soy: Soy is the total package, rich with vitamins, minerals, plant-based omega-3s and disease-fighting phytonutrients. Is tofu just not for you?

Well, there are many other ways to incorporate soy into your diet.

-- Soy milk is a great alternative to dairy.
-- Try a soy protein shake.
-- Eat soy nuts as snacks
-- Some cereals have soy-enriched ingredients.


6. Spinach: We learned as children that this leafy green wonder gave Popeye his "mus-cools." But spinach carries much more than iron.

Just a few of the many added benefits include beta carotene, vitamins B, C and E, calcium and magnesium.

7. Tea: It's relaxing, has no calories and comes with health benefits. Tea is an anti-allergy, anti-inflammatory superfood that has been linked to heart health, cancer and stroke prevention, and lowered blood pressure.


8. Yogurt: This is a great snack for work. It has calcium and other nutrients. But what makes yogurt a superfood is the presence of prebiotics and probiotics -- living organisms that promote gastrointestinal health.

Oh, and yogurt tastes good, too!


9. Walnuts: Although nuts can be high in calories, don't let that discourage you from one of the most nutritious snacks around. Walnuts are one of the few rich sources of plant-derived omega-3 fatty acids.

Besides the fiber and protein, the plant sterols contained in walnuts help with cholesterol levels.


10. Broccoli: Mom told you to eat your broccoli. This time, her advice was right.
Several studies have linked calcium intake with weight loss. Broccoli is not only high in calcium, but it's also packed with vitamin C that helps you better absorb calcium.

Plus, this vegetable has vitamin A, folate and fiber to meet your nutrient needs. And did we mention the powerful phytochemicals that protect against disease?


11. Oranges: They may not be very exciting or exotic, but this old standby sure lives up to its reputation as a healthy favorite.
Yet, even with its supposed popularity, Americans still are lacking in vitamin C. Because it is rapidly excreted from your body, constant replenishment is a must.

There's nothing wrong with a glass of OJ. But eating the orange is even better because its pulp has 10 times the vitamin C dosage found in the juice.


12. Turkey Breast: Stick to the skinless breast and you have a winner of a meal. It's one of the best low-fat protein sources you can eat.


13. Pumpkin: It's not just for the holidays anymore. High in fiber and low in calories, pumpkin has some of the highest levels of carotenoids, which function as antioxidants and help beat the effects of aging.

That's not all, though. This seasonal favorite is loaded with vitamins C and E, as well as iron, potassium and other minerals.


14. Oats: Since 1997, the FDA has allowed the labeling of oatmeal, oat bran and oat flour products as being connected to a reduced risk for coronary heart disease.

Among its other benefits is the ability to help control your blood sugar levels with fiber. Not only is the fiber in oats good for your heart, but it will keep you feeling fuller longer -- an easy way to avoid overeating!