Gallbladder health is very important

Here is the definition for the function of the gallbladder according to Wikipedia:

The adult human gallbladder stores about 50 millilitres (1.8 imp fl oz; 1.7 US fl oz) of bile, which is released when food containing fat enters the digestive tract, stimulating the secretion of cholecystokinin (CCK). The bile, produced in the liver, emulsifies fats in partly digested food.

After being stored in the gallbladder, the bile becomes more concentrated than when it left the liver, increasing its potency and intensifying its effect on fats.

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In America, almost 2/3 of the adult population and 1/3 of the children population is now obese. Americans are consuming far too many foods that are high in fat and high in sugars. The human gallbladders function is to help process fats that are consumed so that the body can run efficiently. Unfortunately, Americans are consuming so much junk food, fatty foods, and processed foods that the gallbladder may not be able to keep up.

Many people have to have their gallbladders removed at some point in their lives because of their over indulgence of fatty processed foods. Once the gallbladder is removed, the body can no longer digest these high fat foods that it was once processing with the help of the gallbladder. As a result, a person without a gallbladder can experience extreme stomach pains when eating foods that are now high in fat.

The key to gallbladder health is prevention. If a person starts off life with a healthy diet, their gallbladder will remain healthy. A healthy lifestyle can be adopted later in life too. It is never too late to start living a healthier lifestyle.

The key to living a healthy lifestyle is to be mindful of your food intake daily. Think about what you are eating at every meal. Plan your meals so you are not in a rush to just buy some convenient unhealthy foods at a fast food restaurant when you are starving. Take time at the grocery store to buy healthy whole unprocessed natural food products.

Every day pack yourself snacks that are healthy. Pack fruit or dried fruits in a bag so that you have something to munch on when you need a healthy snack. If it is available and ready for you when you need it, you will eat well all of the time.

Take time for your health. It is the most important thing for your life.

Article from DFW Foodies about Megafruit

This is an article from DFW Foodies about Megafruit:

Ever Eaten a Megafruit?

Everytime I go to the grocery store I look for new snacky, healthy edibles I can take to work. I land up getting the same things... dried cranberries, almonds and yoghurt pretzels. Then I came across a client who wanted packaging design for his new product- Megafruits. Move over dried cranberries... here come Lychee, Mangosteen and Baby Pineapple. Luckily I got to taste all of them and got to keep the beautiful wood crate that came with it. The megafruits are delicious! (i'm not just saying that because I did the packaging design lol). I enjoyed the exotic and interesting flavours. The baby pineapple being my favourite, really packs a punch! And it's healthy. You've got to get your hands on these goodies. Available soon on Amazon.
Visit their site at http://http://www.megafruitventures.com

Underwood Farms Picking Fresh Strawberries

Today we visited Underwood Farms in Moorpark to pick strawberries fresh off the farm. I wanted my 5 year old daughter to see how vegetables and fruits grow from the earth on a farm. We saw planting areas for snap peas, lettuce, berries, oranges, and tomatoes. She loved seeing how different the plants looked and what the vegetables and fruits looked like while they grew.

While she was picking her strawberries, I explained that the strawberries could only grow if we had the right weather conditions, the right soil, and plenty of water. She got to taste the strawberries as she was picking them and loved the feeling of picking her own fruit from the earth.

I loved seeing all the little kids picking their own berries and tasting the fruit as they picked. They were learning about respecting the earth and what wonderful natural gifts the earth gives us if we treat the earth with respect and love. These children were also learning to love a healthy sweet natural treat on a beautiful sunny warm California day.

Teaching our kids about fresh fruits and vegetables is such an important lesson. If they learn these healthy eating habits early on in life, they will continue healthy eating habits into their adult years.

Jamie Oliver Teaching Kids Healthy Eating Habits

Teaching kids healthy eating habits are very important. Recently, Chef Jamie Oliver created a new show for ABC called "Food Revolution" because he felt that the way many families were eating in America was shortening their kids' lives.

On the show, Jamie Oliver goes to Huntington, West Virginia to teach the adults and the kids what it means to eat healthy and how to change their bad eating habits. This show truly is a food revolution because no one has ever taken it upon themselves to make such a big change before in America.

Americans on the whole are eating too much unprocessed foods and doing too little exercise. Many people have no idea what foods are nutritious and they are passing their lack of knowledge onto their children. Educating our next generation about good eating habits is more important than ever before. Obesity has become one of our biggest problems in the US.

Start thinking about what you are doing to teach your children healthy eating habits today. Are you a good example? Do you do daily exercise? Do you eat unprocessed foods? Do you practice moderation? All these things will reflect on how your children view food and health in the future. You are their most important teacher.

Take small steps to make daily improvements. Substitute sodas and juices for water. Eat fruit for snacks instead of cookies. Eat less red meat and substitute fish twice a week. Eat more whole grained foods. Use 1/2 a pat of butter on your toast in the morning instead of a 1 pat of butter. Substitute skim milk in your coffee isntead of cream. Try 1/2 a teaspoon of sugar instead of 1 teaspoon of sugar. Everything adds up. Small changes add up to a big change at the end of the year.

Start a food diary. Use it with your family. Post it in the kitchen. Once you see everything in writing, you may want to make more changes. As you start seeing positive results in your weight and energy levels as a family, you will probably want to do more.

Simplify Your Life : Through Food

Simplifying our lives has become catch phrase in our society. Some people have succeeded in simplifying their lives and some people have simply bought more life simplifying gadgets and ended up with more physical clutter in their lives.

The philosophy of simplifying your life starts with your diet. When you eat good food, you are healthy and alert and you have plenty of energy to work on other areas of your life.

When we eat good natural untainted foods as nature intended for us, we get all the nutrients from the foods. When we eat food that have been processed, the foods lose their nutrients.

Here is a guide to simplifying your life through food:

When shopping for food bring a shopping list.
Shop when you are not hungry.
Shop the outer perimeter aisles first and fill your cart with fresh fruits, vegetables, cheeses, proteins, and whole grains.
Keep clear of aisles filled with sodas, cookies, donuts, and cakes
If it is not on your list you do not need it. Try not to buy it.
Stock your fridge and cupboards with only unprocessed foods.

When your home is clear of unprocessed foods, you will see that your choices are simple. You will only eat the foods in your home and if they are all natural unprocessed foods that is what you will eat.

Once you start feeling your increased energy from all the good foods you are eating, it will be a snowball affect for the way you live the rest of your life.

Start with your health today.

Decluttering for a healthy diet

Decluttering and spring cleaning are popular terms being thrown around during the months of March and April because everyone usually likes to clean out their closets and cupboards and make way for new things. This year don't stop at decluttering your closets and kitchen cupboards, think about decluttering your food list.

Think about how you can eat better. What it means to eat better and plan how you will stay on track.

Start by looking into your kitchen cabinets and looking at all the foods you have in there now. Are the spices up to date? Are their canned foods in there that you have not used in more than a year? Are there cookies, cereals, and crackers that will never be finished by anyone in the house? Be relentless and toss it out into the trash. If no one is going to eat the items and they are expired, throw them out. Make room for new healthier items to live on those shelves. Don't let those items sit there taking up space. Clutter in cabinets clutters our minds too.

The next step is to make a weekly must have list. Once the list is done check it and make sure everything on that list is a real necessity. You don't need cream filled bundt cakes or cream filled cookies. You don't need items that are not at least 50% whole grain. You don't need sodas.

Take your must have list every week and add items you want for lunches and dinners and evaluate the list honestly. Try to only buy unprocessed whole foods that are made from fresh ingredients. Try to buy as many items as possible that do not come in a box.

Find new recipes that use fresh fruits and vegetables to cook every week. Keep your lunches and dinners simple. Eat the colors of the rainbow and you will see that your food choices will be good food that is good for you.

Last - try shopping at a local farmers market and see if you discover some new fruits and vegetables you have never tried before. Fresh is delicious.

Lychee the imperial super fruit

The Lychee is known as an imperial fruit in China because of its history during the Tang Dynasty. The delicate fruit was a favorite of Emperor Li Longji's concubine Yang Yuhuan (Yang Guifei). The Emperor brought the fruit in using the Pony Express from modern cities such as Guangdong.

The fruit grows on a tree in clusters and has a juicy fleshy meat on the inside of a strong thin sell. The juicy meat of the Lychee is a very sweet delicate taste. Many people all over the world enjoy this exotic fruit.

Lychees are grown in China, Thailand, South-East Asia, India, Japan, and more recently in California and Australia.

The Lychee contains on average a total 72 mg of Vitamin C per 100 grams of fruit.^[3] On average nine lychee fruits would meet an adult’s daily recommend Vitamin C requirement.

A cup of Lychee fruit provides, among other minerals, for a 2000 Calorie diet, 14%DV of copper, 9%DV of phosphorus, and 6%DV of potassium.

Lychees are low in saturated fat, cholesterol and sodium. Most of the energy in a lychee is in the form of carbohydrate (sugar). Lychees are high in polyphenols, containing 15% more than grapes, a fruit commonly referenced as high in polyphenols.^[4]

Megafruit Ventures is introducing the Lychee fruit in a dried fruit for easy snacking for our busy daily lives so that we can get all the vitamins and minerals we need in one convenient package. Click here to learn more.

Lychee Martini Cocktail Recipe

Lychees are a delicious fruit that have lots of vitamins and minerals and are delicious eaten on their own. However if you are looking for a great martini recipe, lychees are a great twist to your normal every day martini.

This recipe is Adapted from Kittichai, New York, NY.

• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 cup drained canned lychees (15 to 20, from a 16- to 20-oz can)
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 6 oz (3/4 cup) vodka (preferably Skyy)
• 1 1/2 oz (3 tablespoons) Cointreau or other orange-flavored liqueur

• Special equipment: a cocktail shaker

Heat sugar and water in a 1-quart saucepan over high heat, stirring, until sugar is dissolved, then pour into a heatproof bowl set in a large bowl of ice and cold water. Let stand, stirring occasionally, until syrup is cold, about 3 minutes.

Purée lychees with sugar syrup and lemon juice in a blender until smooth, then force through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl, pressing hard on solids and then discarding them. Fill cocktail shaker halfway with ice cubes and add lychee purée, vodka, and Cointreau. Shake 15 seconds and strain into Martini glasses.

Read More http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/drink/views/Lychee-Martini-234689#ixzz0jCkMiLQn

How Jennifer Aniston relieves stress Yoga

Stress is a big problem in the US. Millions of people suffer from stress related health issues every day and it has to do with the fact that people do nothing to help relieve their stress.

Many people blame time constraints, family commitments, and job responsibilities for the reasons they suffer from stress. Many of these reasons are valid reasons, but there are also lots of people with busy family lives and careers who manage to find time for themselves to relieve the stress in their lives and reap the health benefits that come along with this stress relief.

One way to find time for yourself daily or every other day is to think about everything you spend time doing in a day. Do you spend time on the phone chatting with a friend while sitting on the couch for an hour? Do you walk through the mall during your lunch break to browse? Do you sit for an hour after work at happy hour? All those are great social outlets, but maybe you could take some of those activities and convert them into healthier alternatives. For example, take a walk outdoors while chatting on the phone with your friend. Forgo happy hour and go to the gym or take your dog on a long walk up a few hills in your neighborhood. Briskly walk 3 times around the whole interior of the mall and do not stop to browse inside any of the stores.

Simple daily changes can help relieve stress. Getting your heart pumping and a little sweat gives you those good endorphins that are known to keep illnesses away.

Jennifer Aniston loves her daily Yoga routine. What can you do for yourself today? Health is something we cannot take for granted. Be healthy.

Mangosteen Superfruit Benefits for Health

What is a mangosteen?

A Mangosteen is a tropical fruit that is grown in hot, humid climates of southeast Asia such as Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam, and Indonesia.

The Mangosteen is a dark purple fruit about 2 to 3 inches in diameter. It is the size of an apple.

The fleshy meat inside the mangosteen is protected by a hard outer shell. The fleshy meat and the outer rind are believed to be full of vitamins and nutrients.

The rind has been found to contain the compounds alpha-mangostin, beta-mangostin, garcinone B, and garcinone E, which are collectively called xanthones.

For the first time ever, Megafruit Ventures is bringing this Queen of Fruits to the US market. This loaded with antioxidants dried fruit will be sure to make your family smile during carpool and snack time. Click here to find out more about this Queen of Fruits snack now.

Eva Longoria Green Goddess Drink Recipe

Eva Longoria Parker and Tony Parker have been seen in Hollywood quite a bit toting their green smoothie veggie fruit shakes around. Hollywood is all about eco friendly green hybrid cars and green living these days and this green shake is another addition to their healthy lifestyles. There are several versions of this green shake that is made in Hollywood. My favorite is the one made by the Newsroom Cafe on Robertson Boulevard. They put lots of natural goodness in the juice and you just feel great after you drink it.

To make a version of this Green Goddess Smoothie at home use the following ingredients:

1 green apple
2 stalks of celery
2 large bunches of spinach
1/2 a cup of pineapple
a bunch of wheatgrass if you so desire


Then put all the ingredients in your juicer or cut everything up in blend in your blender and you have got yourself a healthy green drink to start your day.

The apple and pineapple give it a sweet taste. Also, the apple and pineapple are full of fiber. Just like our dried Baby Pineapples from Megafruit !

Baby Pineapples are Superfruits

Have you ever seen a baby pineapple? It is probably the cutest fruit out there. It is a pineapple that is the size of a large fuji apple. See the size comparison next to a bunch of bananas.

The baby pineapple is grown in countries like Brazil, South Africa, and Thailand. It is high in fiber and full of nutrients.

Nutrients include: Copper, Fiber, Manganese, Thiamin, Vitamin B6 and C

It is considered a Superfruit because of its high nutrient content in such a small package. It also taste less fibrous than its larger sibling the Pineapple.

Definition of a Superfruit: refers to a fruit which combines exceptional nutrient richness and antioxidant quality with appealing taste that can stimulate and retain loyalty for consumer products.

Megafruit Ventures is bringing dehydrated baby pineapples to the US for the first time ever. Click here to learn more about Megafruit's Superfruits and how convenient they are for a healthy lifestyle.

Megafruit $125 March Giveaway Contest

Megafruit is starting off March Madness and Spring break by giving away a Megafruit $125 March Giveaway gift pack loaded with goodies that include the following:

A 10 pack of Megafruit and a $100 Lululemon Gift Card to be used online or at any Lululemon store to stock you up for your summer fitness program.

To Enter:

1.) Become a fan of Megafruit on Facebook here.

and

2.) Become a fan of Megafruit on Twitter here.

To get one extra chance at winning, blog about this contest and link back to us in the comments area.

To get an additional chance at winning, twitter about this contest on your twitter page and tell us about it in the comments area.

To get a 3rd chance at winning, tell us the flavor you cannot to try after looking at our website.



One winner will be chosen randomly by Megafruit. Contest will begin today, March 22, 2010 at 10:00AM PST and end on April 15th, 2010 at 10:00AM PST. 1 (One) Winner will be chosen randomly by Megafruit from the Facebook or Twitter list by April 20th, 2010 and the winning prize package will be sent out on or before April 23rd, 2010 from the Megafruit company's office. The prize will be sent directly to the winner's home address from Megafruit. Prize package is not redeemable for cash. $125.00 cash value of 1 (one) Megafruit $125 March Giveaway Contest prize package and is an approximate retail value. Winner must respond within 48 hours of email contact from Megafruit or prize will be given to another randomly selected contestant. Megafruit has the right to substitute prize colors, prize value, actual prize, prize brand, sizes, and or configuration based on availability at the end of the contest. Winners will only be chosen from contestants who have become a fan of Megafruit on Facebook and on Twitter. Prior to receiving the prize, winner must submit a testimonial and a liability release form signed and sent back to the Megafruit offices. This contest is restricted to US Residents.

Eating Good Foods Daily Guide

This year I made a very important decision to consciously eat foods that are good for me and all natural. That means I was going to try to only eat foods that were made from all natural ingredients.

The key to eating consciously is to plan your meals so that there is no rushing around when it is meal time.

I usually lay out my breakfast choices the night before. My usual choices are a bowl of whole grain cereal and some berries.

Lunch is packed the night before and I make sure that my fridge is stocked with good fresh vegetables and fruit that I can put in a salad or sandwich with whole grain bread. If I forget my lunch at home, I try to buy a salad or soup that is non cream based for lunch from the cafeteria at work or at a local Subway.

Dinner is a fist sized portion of protein, a side of vegetables, and a brown rice or pasta. And dessert is usually some form of fruit. When I go out for dinner I try to make those same choices that I make at home. Once in a while I will indulge in that decadent Creme Brulee. Because it is important to satiate your taste buds and you just balance it out with a good walk or run tomorrow morning.

What have you done for bikini season and Spring break that is coming up? Comments are welcome.

echodotnet - Thanks for writing about us on your blog

My good friends Echo and Howard were kind enough to write about us on their blog page. Check it out http://echoedotnet.wordpress.com/2010/03/08/who-are-ann-shawn/

Natural Products Expo West

megafruit will be attending the Natural Products Expo West in Anaheim California this upcoming week. Is anyone else attending ?