ENJOY THE TASTE!

There may not be scientific proof to back this up, but organic produce has overcome its once-negative reputation as bland-tasting. Organic foods are fresh and flavorful. They look just as good as, if not better than, produce from chemical farms, and taste even better—especially if grown locally. And eating organic does not condemn you to a diet of nuts and tofu. Today, you can find organic versions of the most popular foods, including runner favorites such as pasta, peanut butter, and even dark chocolate—a postrun treat that's good for your body, the earth, and even your taste buds.
Going organic doesn't mean you have to become a vegetarian. Environmental concerns about eating meat come primarily from the methane produced by raising animals in confined lots, which are inhumane, wasteful, and full of diseases, necessitating the overuse of antibiotics. Happily, both meat and dairy products are now produced organically. And while studies have shown that eating too much meat can be unhealthy, animals can be an important component of our nutrition, providing protein, B vitamins, and iron.
Organic foods are a healthier choice—and in more than one way. Studies show some organic foods are higher in antioxidants and cancer-fighting nutrients, such as conjugated linoleic acid. They're also healthier because they contain fewer chemicals. In a study published in Environmental Health Perspectives, researchers analyzed urine samples of children who ate a chemical food diet and then samples from the same children after eating an organic diet. They found far fewer chemicals in the children's urine the same day they switched to an organic diet—and a return to high levels when they went back to a chemical diet.

GM Diet Review

The GM Diet is a free weight loss plan that's been around since 1980s. Rumor has it that the management of General Motors has this diet created for their employees to help them lose weight. I've read that a spokesperson from General Motors denied any knowledge of this diet and it does seem a bit far-fetched to assume that GM had anything to do with it.

Nevertheless, the GM Diet has remained popular and is still used today. It's a free 7 day eating plan made up of low calorie food combination. The purpose is to get you to lose weight fast.

GM Diet reviews and testimonials are mixed. Some report losing weight with this diet while others state that it is far too drastic to be any good for the average person. Once you see the full 7 day menu in this article, you'll see that this is indeed not an easy diet plan to stick to.

In addition to what you can eat on each and every day, you can also enjoy the GM Diet Soup which is made up of tomatoes, onions, head of cabbage, celery, and 4 Envelopes Lipton Onion Soup Mix with additional flavoring as you see fit. This soup can be eaten without limitation.

Here is the GM Diet menu:

Day 1: As many fruit as you like except bananas.
Day 2: Any cooked or raw vegetables that you like without any dressing. For breakfast you should have a baked potato flavored with very little butter.
Day 3: As many fruits and vegetables as you like. Bananas are still forbidden to eat.
Day 4: On this day, you can eat up to 8 bananas and drink up to 3 tall glasses of milk. Remember that you can also enjoy the GM Diet soup as much as you like.
Day 5: Eat 6 whole tomatoes and 2 servings of beef (10 oz. each). You also need to drink a high quantity of water.
Day 6: Eat as much beef and vegetables as you like with no limitations on type.
Day 7: Eat brown rich and vegetables and drink fruit juices.

There's little information about whether you can do the cycle again and if so, how soon after the first one is completed.

As you can see, the food is limited and the diet is low on calories. No exercise is mentioned, you only lose weight due to the nutrition.

As this is a restrictive diet plan, it may be hard to stick to the General Motors diet for a long time. However, this is not what this diet is for. It's for a very fast weight loss, not really for long term results.
For a site that offers a variety of articles on this diet alone visit http://www.GMDiet.org

Music Affects Longevity

Music has a long history of therapeutic use -- from playing a traditional role in healing rituals around the world to its recent use as an integrative Alzheimer's disease treatment. Find out how music to your ears can add on years.
Music as therapy
To date, there is evidence that music therapy can reduce high blood pressure, depression, and sleeplessness. In Alzheimer's patients, music therapy was shown to significantly reduce anxiety and aggression. While there are no claims that music therapy can directly cure diseases like cancer, medical professionals do believe that music can reduce certain symptoms, help with healing, improve physical movement, and enrich a patient's overall quality of life. Music therapy is often used in combination with meditation and visualizations.
Live longer with soothing tunes
In the past few decades, research has found that slow, soothing music is generally beneficial to one's health, whereas fast, jarring music is not. Listening to calming music enhances cognitive functions such as memory, concentration, and reasoning skills; even better, it boosts the immune system, lowers blood pressure, relaxes muscle tension, regulates stress hormones, elevates mood, and increases endurance.
Classical music and meditation music were found to have the most benefit on health. On the other hand, irritating sound can cause stress, with all its negative consequences for your health.
Play music to boost your brain
When you learn new things, you give your brain a workout; why not learn a new instrument? Studies have found that students who take music lessons have increased IQ levels, even showing improvement in non musical abilities.

You can also use music to soothe yourself to sleep. Our bodies run on biological rhythms and function best with consistent routines; sleep is no exception, and forming healthy rituals before bedtime can help you fall asleep and sleep more soundly. Playing tranquil music an hour before sleep is just one way to induce an automatic sleep response

I hope this article inspires you to get healing benefits from music! I invite you to visit often and share your own personal health and longevity tips with me.

May you live long, live strong, and live happy!

Healthy bowel movement,a key to good health

Constipation
Constipation also known as costiveness,a symptom of infrequent hard to pass bowel movements.e term obstipation describes severe constipation which prevents passage of both stool and gas. Causes of constipation include dietary, hormonal, anatomical, as a side effect of medications (e.g., some opiates), and poisoning by heavy metals. Treatments may include changes in dietary habits, laxatives, and enemas.
Prevention
Constipation is usually easier to prevent than to treat. The relief of constipation with osmotic agents, i.e., lactulose, polyethylene glycol, or magnesium salts, should immediately be followed with prevention using increased fiber (fruits, vegetables, and grains) and a nightly decreasing dose of osmotic laxative. With continuing narcotic use doses of osmotic agents may safely be used.
Treatment
The main treatment of constipation involves the increased intake of water, and fiber (either dietary or as supplements).The routine use of laxatives is discouraged, as having a bowel movement may come to be dependent upon their use. Enemas can be used to provide a form of mechanical stimulation. However, enemas are generally useful only for stool in the rectum, not in the intestinal tract.
Laxatives
If laxatives are used milk of magnesia is recommended as a first-line agent due to its low cost and safety. Stimulants should only be used if this is not effective,In cases of chronic constipation prokinetics may be used to improve gastrointestinal motility.

Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS ) and Sodium Laureth Sulfate (SLES). The Killers in your bathroom?

Both Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS) and its close relative Sodium Laureth Sulfate (SLES) are commonly used in many soaps, shampoos, detergents, toothpastes and other products that we expect to "foam up". Both chemicals are very effective foaming agents, chemically known as surfactants.Although SLES is somewhat less irritating than Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, it cannot be metabolised by the liver and its effects are therefore much longer-lasting.

A report published in the Journal of The American College of Toxicology in 1983 showed that concentrations as low as 0.5% could cause irritation and concentrations of 10-30% caused skin corrosion and severe irritation. National Institutes of Health "Household Products Directory" of chemical ingredients lists over 80 products that contain sodium lauryl sulfate. Some soaps have concentrations of up to 30%, which the ACT report called "highly irritating and dangerous".

So why is a dangerous chemical like sodium lauryl sulfate used in our soaps and shampoos?

The answer is simple - it is cheap. The sodium lauryl sulfate found in our soaps is exactly the same as you would find in a car wash or even a garage, where it is used to degrease car engines.

In the same way as it dissolves the grease on car engines, sodium lauryl sulfate also dissolves the oils on your skin, which can cause a drying effect. It is also well documented that it denatures skin proteins, which causes not only irritation, but also allows environmental contaminants easier access to the lower, sensitive layers of the skin.
Do not believe that just because a product is labeled as "natural" it is free from SLS or SLES. Most common brands of "Natural" or "Herbal" shampoos and cleansers still use these harmful chemicals as their main active ingredient - check your labels!
Perhaps most worryingly, SLS is also absorbed into the body from skin application. Once it has been absorbed, one of the main effects of sodium lauryl sulfate is to mimic the activity of the hormone Oestrogen. This has many health implications and may be responsible for a variety of health problems from PMS and Menopausal symptoms to dropping male fertility and increasing female cancers such as breast cancer, where oestrogen levels are known to be involved.

Products commonly found to contains Sodium Lauryl Sulfate or SLES
Soaps
Shampoos
Bubble-baths
Tooth paste
Washing-up liquid / dish soap
Laundry detergent
Childrens soaps / shampoos
Stain Remover
Carpet Cleaner
Fabric glue
Body wash
Shave cream
Mascara
Mouthwash
Skin cleanser
Moisture lotion / Moisturiser
Sun Cream

incorporate Almonds into your diet

Possible health benefits

In Ayurveda, an ancient system of health care that is native to the Indian subcontinent, almond is considered a nutritive for brain and nervous system. It is said to induce high intellectual level and longevity. Almond oil is called Roghan Badam in both Ayurveda and Unani Tibb. It is extracted by cold process and is considered a nutritive aphrodisiac both for massage and internal consumption. Recent studies have shown that the constituents of almond have anti-inflammatory, immunity boosting, and anti-hepatotoxicity effects.

A controlled trial showed that 73g of almonds in the daily diet reduced LDL cholesterol by as much as 9.4%, reduced the LDL:HDL ratio by 12.0%, and increased HDL-cholesterol (i.e., the good cholesterol) by 4.6%.Claimed health benefits include improved complexion, improved movement of food through the colon and the prevention of cancer.Recent research associates the inclusion of almonds in the diet with elevating the blood levels of high density lipoproteins and of lowering the levels of low density lipoproteins.

why Pakistan to Sit Out 2010 FIFA Football World Cup?

Unlike the 2006 FIFA World Cup, when Pakistan was represented in each and every game of the world’s premier sporting tournament - in the shape of Pakistani manufactured footballs - Pakistan will be missing in action at the 2010 FIFA Football World Cup that starts in South Africa later this week. This year’s official match football for the World Cup - Jabulani or Jo’bulani (manufactured by Adidas and meaning ‘to celebrate’ in Zulu - will come from China, not Pakistan.

No longer so, it seems. Indeed, from once commanding as much as 85% of the world’s market in footballs, Pakistani manufacturers now believe that they will supply no more than 30-40 percent of the footballs sold around this mega-event. Pakistan, of course, is not a football power at all - ranked 165th out of 202 countries in the world. But like everywhere else, football fever can get high in Pakistan too . This year, however, we would no longer be kicked around on the FIFA World Cup soccer fields.

"Burqa" ,Arabic word which means to veil or cover.

Where is a Burqa worn?

Burqa is worn throughout Middle Eastern nations and the Muslim nations around the world. Many liberal or democratic governments are not so strict about wearing the Burqa. One such famous example is Turkey, where secular ideas prevail and give people the freedom to choose if they want to wear a Burqa. Meanwhile, in stricter nations, women are told to wear the Burqa and failure to do so can result in beatings, harassment or other worse punishments.

Who wears a Burqa?
Obviously a woman wears a Burqa but more specifically, conservative practicing Muslims wear it. Girls are not supposed to wear a burqa until she hits puberty but this notion is not practiced as girl as young as six are made to wear the Burqa to get them used to wearing it. There have also been instances where men wore the Burqa to escape from the police or to hide their identities from the authorities. One such famous incident occurred at the Red Mosque siege in Pakistan.

What are the different styles of the Burqa or names?
Burqa falls under the category of Hijab. This is a Arabic word which means to veil or cover and refers to a women’s head and body covering gear. In Saudi Arabia, women a loose robe called abaya and a face veil called niqab while in nations like Tunisia or Turkey, Muslim women tend to wear only a headscarf. In Iran, they take a step further and the “fashion police” mandate all women to wear loose clothing – preferably black or a while robe – when going out and women are also supposed to wear either a full face veil or scarf. If the dress code is not followed, it results in punishment. In order to accommodate to the modern word, Islamic teachers allow women to wear a “Burqini.” A Burqini is a swimsuit for women and it covers the entire body. The only exposed parts are the feet, fingers and the face. Chador is also a full body cover for women. One of the extremes of Burqa is the Afghan Burqa, which was enforced by Taliban. This burqa covers the entire body in a loose clothing and even the face (including eyes) are covered with only a grille for the women to look through.

"The immune system is our defense mechanism"

Roughly one person in four has some kind of allergy. The most common is "allergic rhinitis," which includes seasonal hay fever and year-round allergies to dust, pollen, animal dander, mold and some foods.Like other allergy symptoms, hay fever's leaky eyes, runny nose, sneezing and burning palate mean your immune system is overreacting to an otherwise harmless substance you've inhaled, swallowed or touched.
Antihistamines are the medications most commonly taken for hay fever. As the name implies, they block histamines, the substances your body releases that cause hay fever and animal allergies. Older antihistamines are more likely than newer prescription medications to cause drowsiness. Few of the less-sedating medications, loratidine, citrizine, is available without a prescription.

Age works in your favor. Allergies peak from ages 35 to 45, then level off. As the immune system starts wearing out in our 60s, we have fewer reactions to allergens. After age 75, it's unusual to suffer allergies.

Protein: How Much Do You Need?

What is protein?
Protein is one of the basic building blocks of the human body, being about 16 percent of our total body weight. Muscle, hair, skin, and connective tissue are mainly made up of protein. However, protein plays a major role in all of the cells and most of the fluids in our bodies. In addition, many of our bodies' important chemicals -- enzymes, hormones, neurotransmitters, and even our DNA -- are at least partially made up of protein. Although our bodies are good at “recycling” protein, we use up protein constantly, so it is important to continually replace it.
Proteins are made up of smaller units called amino acids. Our bodies cannot manufacture nine amino acids, so it is important to include all these amino acids in our diets. Animal proteins such as meat, eggs, and dairy products have all the amino acids, and many plants have some of them.

How much protein do we need?
Our protein needs depend on our age, size, and activity level. The standard method used by nutritionists to estimate our minimum daily protein requirement is to multiply the body weight in kilograms by .8, or weight in pounds by .37. This is the number of grams of protein that should be the daily minimum. According to this method, a person weighing 150 lbs. should eat 55 grams of protein per day, a 200-pound person should get 74 grams, and a 250-pound person, 92 grams.
"protein plays a major role in all of the cells and most of the fluids in our bodies"

MSG a havoc?

MSGs (monosodium glutamate) safety for human consumption has been widely debated for well over 50 years. Some people are highly sensitive to it, while others appear not to be, and still yet, others may be and not even know they are, monosodium glutamate is the substance in question that causes the most reactions in MSG sensitive people. So what is MSG exactly?

It is the sodium salt of the amino acid known as glutamic acid, and a form of glutamate. Glutamate occurs naturally and is found in many living things, including you. It is found in protein-containing foods such as cheese, milk, meat, vegetables, and spores (mushrooms). When it is found in its natural unbound (unprocessed) form, and is not subjected to some sort of manufactured or fermented process, is not harmful for human or animal consumption.
MSG has no nutritional value whatsoever. Like sugar, it stimulates your taste buds, making you desire the taste so much you will keep on buying the product and keep eating it. MSG changes your perception of how a food tastes. Many experts in the field of studying its harmful effects claim that it stimulates parts of the brain to produce an addiction in much the same way as alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs do.

In literally hundreds of diet studies done around the world, scientists can create, and replicate the inducing of obesity in laboratory animals. Mice and rats can be made obese, without increasing their food intake by giving them MSG.

"MSG basically overexcites your body cells, it over stimulates them to the point of damaging them., acting as a poison".

Eating organic food, part of a healthy lifestyle

Organic food is; food grown and processed without the use of genetic engineering, any sort of synthetic or artificial fertilizer, in other words real fertilizer. It is grown without use of all of the 'cides, referring to pesticide, herbicide, and fungicide. It cannot be grown or processed with antibiotics, preservatives, chemicals or use of radiation. Actually it sounds pretty good, and its sort of scary thinking of food being irradiated and eaten!

Most of the food produced for consumers has been altered from a natural state through fertilization and genetics, in order to grow food faster and in larger amounts. These growing methods directly affect all of us as we consume these products. Organic products are becoming popular because as people educate themselves they realize the value of quality, naturally grown foods and products.

unclog facial black heads

Unclog Pores

Many people are very particular in maintaining their complexion. However they face problem in doing so because of blocked pores.
Blocked pores can become a challenging problem to complexion. The clogged pores not only have a bad look but they are also known to cause various other skin problems.
To unclog the pores in a cheap and healthy way you must know the remedies that can be done from home itself. If the blocked core is due to the dust or makeup it can be removed without using chemicals. To unclog the pores the first thing that has to be done is to step into the shower or a place where there is enough of steam to unblock the pores.
Steam has the ability to remove the pores in a natural way. It is supposed to be the most natural remedy to unclog the pores as it opens the pores without the usage of any chemicals.

junk food avoid at all

Any food item which has little or no nutritional value or products which have nutritional value but have ingredients which are unhealthy when consumed on a regular basis or which are unfit to consume at all is called a junk food.
Generally junk foods are easy to buy and can be prepared with in a short time. Street foods and fast foods also come under the category of junk food. You might wonder how street foods can be classified as a junk food. It is mainly because street foods are normally cooked under unhealthy conditions. On the other hand fast foods are normally cooked and served with in a short time and such type of foods normally doesn’t have any nutritional value. Moreover junk foods simply build up empty calories in your body which can cause obesity and other health related problems to the eater.

Pizza
The major conflict in junk foods is that they are mainly made out of healthy ingredients. It is their preparation method that makes the junk food unhealthy to eat. Take the case of pizza; it is stacked with vegetables on the top. So what goes wrong in a pizza? It is the cheese which is used to cook and decorate the pizza makes it unhealthy to eat. In fact pizza is good when consumed in smaller quantities. But here excess amount of cheese is used to prepare the pizza. The other major ingredient of pizza is refined flour which doesn’t have even a little bit of nutritional value.

Fast Food
Let us check out the case of burger, another popular fast food item which most of us like to have when gone for a restaurant. It contains a loaf of meat and vegetables like tomato, cabbage & lettuce packed in between two buns. Again the refined flour which is used to make the bun makes the problem. In addition, butter and mayonnaise which are used to create a three tier for the burger makes it unhealthy. In the case of street foods, the oil used for cooking and the flavor enhancers are the major risk factors besides refined flour.

Occasional eating of junk foods does not going to affect your health. After all no one cannot follow a perfect diet at all times. So it is you who is going to decide which is healthy for you. Over years doctors have been advising that excess sugar or fat may lead to obesity, increase in blood pressure, high cholesterol, and many cardiac related problems.

MANGOES east indian fruit king

Mangoes belong to the genus mangifera, consisting of numerous species of tropical fruiting trees in the flowering plants family anacardiaces, the common mango, is commonly cultivated and used for food. The mango is indigenous to the subcontinent. Cultivated in many tropical and subtropical and distributed widely in the world, mango is one of the most extensively exploited fruits for food, juice, flavour, fragrance and colour.

In several cultures, its fruit and leaves are ritually used as floral decorations at public celebrations and religious ceremonies.

"Sulfation" in lead acid battery

sulfation is a term used for lead acid batteries having (pbso4)level 2 hard crystals on their lead plates,these crystals sticks at the lead acid battery plates like a layer and their non-conducting behaviour does not allow electrons free flow,this in turns totally disturbs batteries chemistry and the battery stops accepting charge,SULFATION can be avoided by using chemical additives,and by trickle-pulsars,yet if both are used is good.
UPS,inverters,and solar system batteries are more prone to SULFATION as the discharge ratio in these batteries is unspecified,although battery manufacturers produce special batteries for these storage devices,deep cycle batteries are claimed to perform better with UPS,inverters butt still to avoid sulfation these do need additives to keep them perform best and long.One good additive i tried you can get @ www.batteryplus.us

Natures gift or curse "Atta Abad lake".

Hunza a beautiful valley in pakistan is in crises now a days the valley is in danger of flooding by an accidental lake formed by the collapse of a mountain in the free flow way of its water fall.Lake formed by stoppage of water flow is a sort of nature's created water reservoir which i think is a gift from god to this country as the higher up's and the government did nothing to improve water storage capacity in the country,Now there is a need to improve this reservoir and make it a solid dam to produce electricity and use its water as and when needed.