Food Safety Tips You Want to Know

Buying good-for-you eats is important, but if you are not aware of Food Safety Tips You Want to Know, you could be impacting your health in a negative way. Lots of fruits and veggies, lean meats, dairy, and whole grains are important but understanding food safety is just as important to your health as the good food choices.

KEEP PRODUCE SUPER FRESH

When you come home from the grocery store or farmer’s market, you want to make your tasty loot last more than a day or two. Produce like berries, grapes, asparagus, leafy greens, mushrooms, and summer squash, as well as pre-cut or peeled fruits and vegetables should be stored in the refrigerator. Your refrigerator temperature should be 40 degrees F or below. Produce like bananas, citrus, melons, and tomatoes can be safely stored at room temperature, and items like potatoes and onions should be stored in a pantry.

FOOD SAFETY TIPS YOU WANT TO KNOW!

Another produce tip is to clean your produce drawers weekly as they can become germ-ridden from dirt and bacteria that clings to fruits and vegetables. This will keep them from being cross contaminated or contaminated from other bacterial growth.

STORE DAIRY SAFELY

Milk, cheese, and yogurt provide an ideal environment for the make-you-sick microbes to grow if not stored properly. It is also recommend that you shop the dairy aisle last to keep the amount of time kept at room temp to a minimum. Containers of yogurt stay good for 7 to 10 days after the expiration date if you keep the covers closed. So enjoy! Cheese is best kept at 35 to 45 degrees F in a crisper bin that has humidity/temperature controls.

Milk should be stored on fridge shelves instead the door, because temperatures vary when being opened and closed. Plus Milk is another item you can drink up to one week past the sell-by date, as long as you store it on a shelf versus the door.

Butter should never be stored on the counter. Yes I know you like it when its soft, but you won’t like it when I tell you that this increases bacterial contamination. If you need make it spreadable, only take off what you need and let it sit out just prior to use.

EGGS IN THE UNITED STATES BELONG IN THE FRIDGE

Yes, Europeans don’t refrigerate their eggs. This is due to the differences in the practices used to safeguard eggs from salmonella between Europe and the US. We treat eggs to destroy salmonella via pasteurization and in Europe, they vaccinate poultry, among other hygiene measures. So, our eggs have to be store in the fridge. Eggs should also be kept on the shelves, not in the door. Eggs should be used within three to five weeks.

PREPARE EVERYTHING WELL

Rinse all fruits and vegetables, even organic. While rinsing them scrub them with a brush to get all the nooks and crannies. This goes for all fruits and veggies, even the ones where you don’t eat the skin or rind. Cleaning them will keep contamination of your fridge and fruit bowl to a minimum. Plus it keeps the transfer bacteria from the skin into the flesh via your knife.

PREPARE AND COOK MEAT RIGHT

Always pay attention to the date on your meat. Know it even at the butcher counter or shop. Ground meat and poultry is good 1 to 2 days, while steaks/chops/roasts last 3 to 5 days. Refrigerators have meat bins for a reason. Only store meat in those bins. This keeps contamination to a minimum. Never wash or rinse poultry, as it leaves your sink teeming with possible salmonella and other nasty microbes.

Always cook all meat thoroughly. Safely cooked meat can range in color. Therefore, you want to use a thermometer to take the protein’s internal temp: Ground meat (160 degrees F), steak/roast (145 degrees F), chicken and turkey (165 degrees F), and pork (145 degrees F). Lastly never put cooked meat back on the same plate that housed the raw meat prior to cooking.

Finally, remember that research shows that most of us make the critical misstep of washing our hands all wrong. To truly clean your hands and other surfaces you need to wash with soap and water for a minimum of 20 seconds. This is a super-important step in preventing cross-contamination.

Now that you are armed with these Food Safety Tips You Want to Know… Go on, Get Cooking and get eating those healthy foods!

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Health Effects of Caffeine

Well I can personally say I am one of those that uses caffeine a little to much. As my " Rise & Shine aid and as my afternoon cup of java ( as I hit the wall at work my go to is a cup of coffee ). Here is an article I wanted to share which gives a little info on the health effects of caffeine.

Caffeine has its perks, but it can pose problems as well. The best thing you can do is to find out how much is too much for you, as well as the overall health effects of caffeine. Once you know the health effects of caffeine you can properly determine whether you need to curb your consumption.

Do you rely on caffeine to wake you up and keep you going? Well you aren’t alone. Caffeine is used by millions of people every day to increase wakefulness, alleviate fatigue, and improve concentration and focus. This can be a problem.

Health Effects of Caffeine

Caffeine is a powerful stimulant, and it can be used to improve physical strength and endurance if used properly, but it can also have some very bad side effects on your health if over used and over consumed.

Where can caffeine be found and is there a difference?

 Caffeine is found in Coffee, Green Teas, Energy Drinks, soda, and in a pill form. Caffeine that you find in soda, pill form, or in the majority of energy drinks are synthetic versions of caffeine which is not a form of caffeine you want to be consuming. Then add the sugar levels that are in soda and most energy drinks, and you are on the road to weight gain and an unhealthy body. If you are going to consume caffeine it should only come from coffee, green tea, or if you are using an energy drink you need to verify that it is coming from green tea or other natural herbs that have been found safe for consumption. The cleanest most natural energy drink on the market isEnergize by Beachbody. This product can found in their top selling Performance Nutrition Line.

How much is too much and what are the health effects of caffeine?

Some science says that up to 400 milligrams (mg) of caffeine a day appears to be safe for most healthy adults. The key word here is “Appears”. The newest science has shown that low doses of caffeine may have beneficial effects on the body, where high doses can hinder how the body operates.

Caffeine dosages really should be tailored to each individual. If you are new to caffeine or supplements that contain caffeine, keeping consumption at 100 mg or lower per dose would be a good idea. Typically, 200 mg or less of caffeine has shown to have fat-burning and performance improvement properties. Heavy caffeine use can cause unpleasant side effects, and caffeine may not be a good choice for people who are highly sensitive to its effects or who take certain medications.

Heavy daily caffeine use that is more than 400 mg a day may cause side effects such as: Insomnia, Nervousness, Restlessness, Irritability, Digestion issues and Bloating, Fast Heart Rate, Muscle Tremors, and Weight gain just to name a few.

High doses have been found to not improve performance or aid in fat burning because it causes sedation and relaxation effects by triggering those receptors in the brain. It also creates an inhibition of serotonin levels, acetylcholine, and your adrenaline system. When this happens to these systems you will see slowing in performance, and fat burning abilities.

Of course you only want the health effects of caffeine that are good. So you may need to take a look at your consumption and see how you can curb your caffeine habit to bring your consumption to the levels that will have a positive benefit.

Depending on your consumption, cutting back on caffeine can be challenging. An abrupt decrease in caffeine may cause withdrawal symptoms, such as headaches, fatigue, irritability and nervousness. Fortunately, these symptoms are usually mild and resolve after a few days.

To have health effects of caffeine that will benefit you, try these tips to get your consumption in line:

• Keep tabs. Start paying attention to how much caffeine you’re getting from foods and beverages. It may be more than you think. Read labels carefully. Even then, your estimate may be a little low because not all foods or drinks list caffeine.
• Cut back. Remember to do it gradually. Decrease the amount by a few ounces each day. Avoid drinking caffeinated beverages late in the day. This will help your body get used to the lower levels of caffeine and lessen potential withdrawal effects.
• Go decaf. Most decaffeinated beverages look and taste the same as their caffeinated counterparts.
• Shorten the brew time or go herbal. When making tea, brew it for less time. This cuts down on its caffeine content. Choose herbal teas that don’t have caffeine.
• Check the bottle. Some over-the-counter pain relievers contain caffeine, and can be as much as 130 mg of caffeine in one dose. Look for caffeine-free pain relievers instead.

The bottom line is that caffeine can be a part of your daily routine if consumed at doses that benefit your health versus hinder it. When done this way, most of the time it doesn’t pose a health problem. Be mindful of those situations in which you need to curtail your caffeine habit. If you plan on using nutritional supplements that have caffeine make sure that is a high quality product that uses naturally low doses of caffeine, such as the Energize from the Beachbody Performance Line. Also keep in mind that when consuming these products you may have to keep your other caffeine beverages to lower levels.

When taking these things into consideration it will provide you the positive health effects of caffeine versus negative effects.

This Simple Tip Could Help You Lose Weight

I read this and couldn’t believe how simple it was and how much sense it made !

Think back to your last meal. Was it pleasant and leisurely? Or were you rushing to wolf it down before hitting the morning commute? How often have you found yourself racing through meals on-the-go, or watching TV while mindlessly shoveling forkfuls of food into your mouth? Simply putting your fork down between bites could help you eat less and enjoy your meals more.

The common sense advice, to slow down eating by placing your fork on the plate between bites is actually a very useful tactic for reaching your weight-loss goals. Slowing down can be good not only for your digestion and your table manners, it can help prevent overeating. It forces you to relax and pay attention to chewing the food you already have, and allows you to notice more easily when you begin to feel full.

How long do you usually take to finish a meal? If it’s 10 minutes or less, you could be eating twice as much as your body needs without even knowing it! The body takes 20 minutes before it alerts the brain that it has had enough.That’s because it’s not your stomach reaching capacity that tells your brain to stop, it’s food reaching your intestines that triggers the signal to put down the fork. Eating quickly can cause you to eat dozens of extra mouthfuls of food before your brain gets that important message.

A study published in The Journal of the American Dietetic Association reported that slower eaters ate 10 percent fewer calories and felt more full. They also drank more water during meals. Another study published in The British Medical Journal, reported that eating quickly and eating until full was consistent with being overweight, and the combination of both of these habits tripled the risk of being overweight.

It sounds like a no-brainer, but have you ever actually tried putting your fork down between every bite, chewing your food, and not picking up your fork again until you’ve swallowed the previous bite? Try it today and pay attention to how it feels. If you’re eating food with your hands, like a wrap or a slice of pizza, put the food on the plate while you chew. Think about how many calories you could potentially save at every meal just by using this technique.

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Exercise for Depression and Anxiety

This is an article I wanted to share with you because it kind of hits home for me.  I had what I call the SADS ( hormonal not sure ) but just over a year ago I started to move and it along with some other life changes, helped get me back on track.

Depression and anxiety symptoms often improve with exercise. When you have anxiety or depression, exercise often seems like the last thing you want to do, but once you get motivated, exercise can make a big difference. So, how do you Exercise for Depression and Anxiety?

First you need to have a greater understanding on how exercise can make a difference in depression and anxiety symptoms. The links between anxiety, depression and exercise are not entirely clear, but working out and other forms of physical activity have shown that it can definitely ease symptoms of anxiety or depression and make you feel better. Exercise has also been shown to help keep anxiety and depression from coming back once you are feeling better and symptoms have subsided.

How does exercise help depression and anxiety?

Regular exercise for depression and anxiety may help ease symptoms in a number of ways, which may include:

• Releasing feel-good brain chemicals that may ease depression (neurotransmitters, endorphins and endocannabinoids)
• Reducing immune system chemicals that can worsen depression
• Increasing body temperature, which may have calming effects

Regular exercise has many other psychological and emotional benefits, as well. It can help you:

• Gain confidence. Meeting exercise goals or challenges, even small ones, can boost your self-confidence. Getting in shape can also make you feel better about your appearance.
• Take your mind off worries. Exercise is a distraction that can get you away from the cycle of negative thoughts that feed anxiety and depression.
• Cope in a healthy way. Doing something positive to manage anxiety or depression is a healthy coping strategy. Trying to feel better by drinking alcohol, dwelling on how badly you feel, or hoping anxiety or depression will go away on its own can lead to worsening symptoms.

Now that you have an understanding of how it can help, what can you do to Exercise for Depression and Anxiety? Research has shown that physical activity such as regular walking, gardening or other forms of physical activity may help improve mood. Keep in mind that Physical activity and exercise are not the same thing, but both are beneficial to your health. The same research has shown that those who used exercise that incorporated progressive resistance training, and cardiovascular training showed a greater improvement and maintenance of depression and anxiety.

Exercise for Depression and Anxiety

With that said, many people don’t seek out exercise because they don’t want to go to a gym or fitness facility due to their depression and anxiety. So what is the answer?

The answer is to utilize at-home fitness and exercise programs such as Beachbody’s 21 Day Fix, P90X, TurboFire, Insanity, and others that provide resistance and cardiovascular training in a planned and structured format. This progressive exercise combined with a structured plan, and where you don’t have to leave your home is great way to create that improvement or maintain that Exercise for Depression and Anxiety can bring to a person.

One of the other things that many people don’t have with going to the gym to exercise for depression and anxiety is support. With a Beachbody Club Membership, each person gets aFREE Coach to support him or her. This can be a great benefit to those who have to exercise for depression and anxiety. If you start with a Beachbody Premium Membership, you’re first 30 days is FREE, and it gives you access to Beachbody On-Demand, an amazing meal planner, and much more! After your free trial ends, you’ll continue to stream world-class programs, such as P90X®, P90X2®, P90X3®, INSANITY®, and more from our massive Beachbody Member Library.

So take advantage of exercise to provide benefits to your overall health, and to improve or manage depression and anxiety.

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12 Superfoods to Eat When You’re Stressed

It’s 8:30 pm on a Tuesday and you’re stuck at the office. You want to go out and get food, but the pile of work and a looming deadline in front of you says otherwise. It’s times like this when unhealthy snacks–from the corner store or the vending machine–feel like a way to deal with the added pressure around you. But there are some foods you could eat to help you feel less stressed–many of which are easy, portable snacks.

According to an article published yesterday on CNN.com, some foods are better equipped at helping you deal with stress. The 12 “superfoods” they featured were found to lower stress not only in the moment, but may help your body to cope with stress better in the future.

Eating more green leafy vegetables, for instance, was found to help lower depressive symptoms in older adults and college students were happier and calmer after consuming vegetables.

Another superfood, cashews, can help reduce stress in two ways. First, the nuts have a high concentration of zinc, a deficiency of which may be linked to mood disorders such as depression and anxiety. Secondly, cashews contain plenty of magnesium, which relaxes nerves by balancing calcium (which, in turn, activates nerves). Many experts believe eating the right amount of magnesium can also help you sleep better at night.

And, everyone’s favorite, dark chocolate, also made the list for its ability to help increase serotonin and endorphin levels in your brain (in moderation, of course). If chocolate alone wasn’t enough to dispel your darkest cravings, why not pair it with yogurt? Some evidence has shown consumption of probiotics found in yogurt actually decreased the emotional response to certain activities (such as stress). In other studies, probiotics has been known to alter the chemicals in the brain that cause anxiety and depression.

Here is the complete list of superfoods–do any surprise you?
- Green leafy vegetables
- Turkey breast
- Oatmeal
- Yogurt
- Salmon
- Blueberries
- Pistachios
- Dark Chocolate
- Milk
- Seeds
- Avocados
- Cashews

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Are Carbohydrates Bad?

We hear this question all the time " ARE CARBS BAD FOR US ?" So here is some clarification to a very current question, I just had to share.

Are Carbohydrates Bad? They make you fat right? Come on it must be true, you read articles about it all the time. So they must make you fat…right?

Here is the deal. There is one small problem, carbohydrates are very important. In fact, carbohydrates (especially the right kind) are essential to your body. They aid in muscle growth, providing energy, as well as providing your body many other benefits. So, Are Carbohydrates Bad? The answer is NO!

Now let’s be real. Lumping all carbs together into one category is like saying all quarterbacks who play in the NFL will be just like Joe Montana. It would be absurd to call all carbs bad when vegetables and fruits are also carbohydrates. With that said, I would have a hard time believing that you would think that a nutrition plan attempting to completely purge carbohydrates would be a good idea. I have a feeling you are a pretty smart cookie (oh, that would be a bad carb). So to suggest that all carbs are evil, is just plain nonsense.

Let’s take a step back and take a hard look at reality, compared to personal preference. I need to ask you a question. Are you willing to wipe the slate clean and start fresh with the truth about carbohydrates? I am going to assume you said yes, either way I am going to give you the facts.

Are Carbohydrates Bad?

 Are Carbohydrates Bad? Will bread and grains make you fat? Uh, NO! Blanket statements just don’t work. The “don’t eat carbs” or “Carbohydrates are Bad” statements are just that, Blanket Statements. Statements like these just confuse the general public. The reason people get confused, is that most don’t have a nutrition background or truly understand what qualifies as a carbohydrate. 95% of us look at food as simply that, FOOD. All blanket statements have done is cause people to adjust their diets in a way that keeps their bodies from functioning properly. This is why many people have been going out of their way to avoid certain foods, like bread, rice or potatoes. When in fact, these foods can have a place in a balanced nutrition plan and can play a role in helping you lose weight or gain lean muscle.

Now you know that carbs as a whole are not bad, BUT there are certain types of carbs that are not good for your body. Generally, these types of carbs will make you feel bloated and tired. These types of carbs often contain processed sugars, corn syrup, or are white flour based foods, and the list can go one with all the other processed crap available. If you cannot grow it, or it doesn’t come from minimally processed whole grains, it is not good. Yep, simple as that.

It comes down to the food manufactures like to confuse people. If they can get the general public to buy into what they are saying about a particular food, macronutrient, or diet, they make money and lots of it.

So back to the question at hand… Are Carbohydrates Bad?

NO, but all of us could gain a better understanding to guide our eating habits. Eating vegetables and fruit, as well as high quality, high fiber grains are an important part of healthy nutrition. If you truly want a balanced healthy nutrition plan that will aid in weight loss or muscle gains you really need to have at least 100 to 200 grams per day depending on your daily level of physical activity and exercise.

The overall message is, you cannot consume bucket-loads of refined low quality carbohydrates and chase them down with and extra-large soda and say, “well they said carbs aren’t bad”. I know you are smarter than the average bear and understand that you need to choose your carbohydrates wisely to have a healthy nutrition plan. It is about eating more good foods such as lean proteins, colorful vegetables, a variety of fruits, high-fiber grains, healthy fats, and cutting out the highly processed garbage such as candy, soda, sugar-loaded foods, poor quality breads, and boatloads of pasta.

Another important factor is choosing the correct portions of the carbs you consume. This can be as important as the kind of carbs you choose to eat. Grain and fruit carbohydrates should be smaller portions than vegetable carbs. If you need assistance with nutrition, portion sizes, and proper balance of carbs, proteins, and fats you may want to check out the 21 Day Fix onBeachbody On Demand. It has an amazing nutrition plan that creates the perfect balance of nutrients and portions. If you struggle with cutting out the crap, you definitely want to take a look at adding a total nutrition shake like Shakeology.

When it’s all said and done, if you are eating healthy and choosing wisely 85-90 percent of the time your body will be happy, you will have energy, and you will lose weight, gain muscle or maintain depending on your goals. You now know the truth to the question “Are Carbohydrates Bad?”

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Daily Protein Requirements for Men and Women

I wanted to share an article on protein, I find that I want to eat correctly but not always sure WHAT to eat, WHEN and WHY. This article gives a lot of info, check it out. It may answer some of your what, where, why and when's.

What are the Daily Protein Requirements for Men and Women? The average man in the United States consumes about 100 grams of protein per day, while the average woman takes in approximately 70 grams, according to the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. The amount of protein you need daily really is dependent on your gender and activity level, as well as your goals because this determines your total caloric intake which has an effect on the amount of protein you need to consume.

Daily Protein Requirements for Men and Woman

The Institute of Health and Nutrition find that for general health, men should get around 56 grams of protein per day and that women should get around 46 grams. It is also important to know that the human body cannot properly utilize more than 20 grams of protein in one consumption. Therefore the grams should be spread out throughout the day in smaller doses. When consuming protein it needs to be of higher quality to ensure that you are getting the nine essential amino acids that are needed but your body cannot produce on its own. Meat, fish and poultry provide all of the amino acids, but if you are a vegetarian, you can combine foods, such as rice and beans, or whole-grain bread and peanut butter, to get a complete array of amino acids. Shakeologywhich is a total nutrition shake, will also provide all the nutrients you need from the protein to the amino acids. Including this shake in your daily nutrition will help you reach your protein needs without overloading the body with hard to digest animal proteins.

It is also recommend that 10 to 30 percent of your total calories comes from protein. This guideline is general and is dependent on goals. Example: 1,800 calories per day, 180 to 540 of those calories should be from protein. Each gram of protein is 4 calories. This would put your consumption at 45 to 135 grams of protein. This proves why it is dependent on gender, activity level, and personal goals.

Most People Get Too Much Protein

 To avoid weight gain, water retention and extra wear and tear on your digestive system, do not take in more protein than recommended. Your body will only use the protein it needs and can process at one time. If you are consuming more than your body needs, you will store it as excess fat, as well as eliminate it out. Therefore consuming to much at one time is bad for your body, and a waste of money. Eating large amounts of meat and animal protein each day can be especially unhealthy and hard on the body. Animal products should be eaten in moderation. Plant-based proteins, such as beans, whole grains and legumes are choices that keep the protein levels where you want them and provide a lot of other nutrients. Of course eating a variety of protein sources ensures your body balanced nutrition, all of the essential amino acids, and from being bogged down when there is too much of one food item.

Best Result with Your Protein Consumption

Most people don’t realize this, but the muscle gains and recovery do not come from just protein. You need to have a balanced proportion of proteins with complex carbohydrates for your body to actually assimilate the protein for muscle gains and recovery. Therefore you need to consume it in small amounts keeping the total grams in one sitting to 20, and couple that with carbohydrates that will allow for the proteins to be utilize. This why we mention plant based protein sources, as it give you both the protein and the carbohydrates.

If you are looking at supplements for help on getting good protein and carbohydrates you want to use something that is natural and does not have additives, artificial sugars, and ingredients. Some of the best, is the Super Food Shake Shakeology, or Beachbody’s Recharge and Recover Protein from their Performance Nutrition Line. These products are clean high quality protein sources that are perfectly balanced with carbohydrates for optimal assimilation of the protein and super nutrient dense carbohydrates to aid in the process of muscle gains, and recovery.

When you are providing your body the proper Macronutrient quantities, you will get the greatest results. Too much or too little will keep you from having the gains and results you are looking to obtain.

With the knowledge of protein requirements, and overall balanced nutrition, great things will happen for you.

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Getting Fit

Getting Fit Together contributors are some of the brightest minds in the health, fitness, and wealth industry. Come back often to learn from our top contributors.