Portobello mushroom- they are an excellent source of niacin, the B vitamin needed to change carbs into energy. These mushrooms can also be found in certain supplements as well. The supplements containing cordyseps, a form of mushroom, is great for vitality, energy, and sexual labido. I’ve tried one brand called vitality and I’ve got to say it works.

You can learn more about vitality here. here.

blueberries – these are my absolute favorite!! They’re incredibly healthy and super high in anti oxidants. The blue hue comes from anthocyanins, a plant pigment known for it’s ability to combat free radicals in the body that cause heart disease, hypertension and certain types of cancers. I keep a huge container washed on my kitchen counter and grab a handful when I need a healthy snack! Little tip…organic is higher in anti oxidants then traditional or conventional farmed blueberries. Organic blueberries have a higher level because they have to protect themselves from free radical damage.

Lean beef – for you meat eaters out there, two words for you… flank steak. It’s an excellent source of phosphorous and zinc minerals that are essential for metabolizing the 33 grams of protein you’ll get from a single 5 oz serving.

So relax and enjoy your meals, remember “you are what you eat”.

“So why do some people look younger and some people look older than their actual age? Well the team at NuSkin has been researching this exact question for years. Did you know that across the globe people feel that the biggest anti-aging question in their mind is not “Why do we get wrinkles?” or “How do our bodies lose the grip on gravity’s pull?” but rather “Why do some people look younger than their real age?”

Most often, looking young is attributed to people having good genes, but if it’s all in the genes, then aging is inevitable and you can’t do anything to change it. That answer has never been acceptable to me, so our team has delved deeply into the molecular mechanisms of aging and has learned something can be done about aging at the genetic level. It’s not about changing the genes, it’s about influencing gene expression.

IT IS IN THE GENES, JUST NOT THE WAY YOU’VE THOUGHT

When someone looks pretty, handsome, or younger than their age, your grandmother or mother would shrug and say, “Oh, she just has good genes.” And they are partly right, everyone has good genes, but the key is how your genes are being expressed. Your genes are your genes and they are fixed. They can’t be altered.

But when it comes to looking younger than your age, what scientists have discovered is that it’s not about altering the genes, but about something called youthful gene expression.”

Youth Gene Expression Before and After

NuSkin has found a way to change your gene expression. Our products target the mitochondria, the brains in our cells, that cause us to age and reverse them to a more youthful state causing us to appear younger and feel healthier, more vibrant and have more vitality.

You can learn more about the products and purchase them here.

Antioxidants are substances or nutrients in our foods which can prevent or slow the oxidative damage to our body. When our body cells use oxygen, they naturally produce free radicals (by-products) which can cause damage. Antioxidants act as “free radical scavengers” and hence prevent and repair damage done by these free radicals.  Health problems such as heart disease, macular degeneration, diabetes, cancer etc are all contributed by oxidative damage. Indeed, a recent study conducted by researchers from London found that 5 servings of fruits and vegetables reduce the risk of stroke by 25 percent. Antioxidants may also enhance immune defense and therefore lower the risk of cancer and infection.

Well there is actually a way to determine whether or not your vitamins are working for you and determine your level of anti-oxident protection, best of all it is not invasive.  It is a newly developed machine called a biophotonic scanner by a company called Pharmanex.  This company is well known for their state of the art products all geared to help lessen the effects of aging inside and outside the body.

This incredible Pharmanex BioPhotonic Scanner has transformed the way we look at our health, and has created a business opportunity like no other in the world.

What is the Scanner? It’s a revolutionary tool developed by Pharmanex to measure the carotenoid antioxidant levels in your skin-and prove the effectiveness of your supplements in improving your overall antioxidant health.

What does the Scanner do? Place the palm of your hand in front of the Scanner’s safe, low-energy blue light laser, and you will obtain an immediate reading of the carotenoid antioxidant levels in your skin-your Skin Carotenoid Score.

Why should I be scanned? By measuring the stable level of carotenoid antioxidants in your skin and generating your Skin Carotenoid Score, the Scanner provides a more accurate and reliable biomarker of your overall antioxidant health status than other methods of measuring antioxidants. Getting your Skin Carotenoid Score makes you aware of the antioxidant levels in your body-and gives you the push you need to improve your overall antioxidant health.

The LifePak® and g3™ Money-Back Guarantee
Get your Skin Carotenoid Score measured with the Scanner, take LifePak® or g3™ for 60 days, and get your Score measured again. You will have proof that Pharmanex® supplements can improve your antioxidant levels and your overall antioxidant health. In fact, Pharmanex guarantees that your Skin Carotenoid Score will increase as you take LifePak® or g3™ regularly as directed.

Supporting Inca Armies

During Inca times, quinoa was considered the second most important crop, after potatoes and before corn.  They believed it was sacred and called it the “Mother of all Grains,” with the Inca king ceremonially planting each year’s first seed using a solid gold shovel.  Their powerful armies conquered huge swathes of South America, marching for days at a time over high mountain ranges, sometimes eating nothing but a mixture of quinoa and fat called “war balls.”

Rise and Fall

After the Spanish arrived in the New World, quinoa was outlawed and replaced by wheat.  Peasants in remote mountain regions continued to grow it secretly, but it retained the stigma as food for the poor long after the Spanish had left.

It was relatively unknown in the US until the 1980s, when scientists and nutritionists started researching indigenous crops which could be adapted to modern agricultural needs.  In the past 20 years, it has grown in popularity from an obscure health-food item, to a widely-available product found in most supermarkets in the form of quinoa grains, flour, pasta, and cereal.

Now, with global demand up and the price of wholesale quinoa skyrocketing, poor farmers in developing countries like Peru and Bolivia are cashing in on this recently rediscovered crop.  Some even believe quinoa could be the key to lifting struggling mountainous regions out of years of persistent poverty.

Nutritional Benefits

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has identified quinoa as the only vegetable source that is a complete protein, meaning it has all the essential amino acids necessary for human health and development.  It resembles the sort of proteins found in animal sources and has the same nutritional profile as milk.

Quinoa is an easily-digestible food, which is gluten-free, and an excellent source of several B Vitamins, along with most of the minerals needed by the human body – iron, calcium, potassium, zinc, magnesium, and copper.

Technically not a grain – it’s actually a seed about the same size as sesame seeds – it has a nutty and earthy taste, with a chewy texture.  It cooks quickly, in about 15 minutes, and makes a great substitute for rice.

of the face and onto the lower part. The place that you want people to focus should always be the eyes themselves, becuse they are the windows to your soul. Having a well groomed brow will do just that, bringing the attention to your eyes and serving as a frame for the entire face.

Even if you’re not big on makeup, maintaining your brows are essential. Having an unkempt brow is just out of the question. A brow that has too many stray hairs out of the natural arch line can leave its owner looking as if they don’t care about how they look, or have just given up. A naturally thick bushy brow that’s left in its natural state can make even the most feminine face look masculine. And the dreaded uni-brow just leaves everyone looking frightful.

On the flip side, the thin overly arched brow of the past few years is just as awful a makeup crime. It can make a woman look outdated and washed out especially if her brows are blonde or light brown. It’s almost a requirement that she wears makeup with that kind of brow, because the look is quite severe and will age every wearer, since people’s brows naturally thin as they get older.

The brow that is in now, falls somewhere in between the pencil thin brow and the one nature gave you. It follows your natural arch instead of carving out a whole new one, and takes away those stray hairs that grow past it. It’s simple and not as high maintenance as the overly arched brow. It will also frame your face the best, because the arch you were born with is right will define your features best. Another perk to this brow is that you can run out of the house with no makeup on and still look presentable and fresh.

To achieve this brow, you might want to see a pro for a shaping first, especially if you’ve been plucking against your natural arch and aren’t sure where to start. Later when it grows in you can do the upkeep yourself.

Did you know that  oil holds many health benefits?  Not only is it great to cook with, but it can also contribute to your longevity.  Olive oil, like wine, has been around forever. For people of the Mediterranean, it has had medicinal, even magical powers through the ages. The olive tree is considered a symbol of peace and glory.

Olive oil was used in medicines and different ointments. It was also used for nourishment and as an overall healing agent.

1.  Reduce your chances of plaque buildup on your arteries, thereby avoiding a heart attack or stroke. Olive oil is rich in monounsaturated fat and antioxidants like chlorophyll, carotenoids and vitamin E. Scientists have identified a compound in olive oil called oleuropein which prevents the LDL cholesterol from oxidizing. It is the oxidized cholesterol that sticks to the walls of the arteries and forms plaque. Replacing other fats in your diet with olive oil can significantly lower blood pressure and reduce the risk of heart attack or stroke.

2. Can Inhibit Cancer. A recent study showed that monounsaturated fatty acids found in olive oil has the ability to reduce the affect of a gene within the human body that can cause cancer.  It helps protect against colon cancer as well.  It can reduce the amount of carcinogens formed in meat when it is cooked, if the meat was cooked using olive oil.

3.  Controls Blood Sugar.  Diabetics are always advised to combine low fat, high carbohydrate diets with olive oil.  The combination of them can control blood sugar levels.

4.  Ease the Symptoms of Ulcers and Gallstones. It adds a protective coating on the lining of the stomach to help ease the discomfort often associated with these conditions.

On a lighter side it is also used:

• As a Body Oil
• To Control Hair Frizz and Dry Cuticles
• Control a Nagging Cough
• Shine Pots and Pans
• Used as a Lip Balm
• Used as a Bath Oil

Did you know? Every sacred text from the ancient Near East (now the Middle East) is filled with mentions of olive oil. This product propelled the economy of the ancient world and was thought of as liquid gold. Ancient Olympic athletes rubbed it on their bodies before they competed because they believed it gave them strength and youth.

How do you use olive oil?

While I happen to use Oxi Clean in my laundry when I wash clothes I have always liked how it has brightened up my loads of wash.  But the spray I must say lacks something when used on spot treatments.  Church and Dwight, the makers of the products, packaged it in a small vial with a spray top.  The vial is convenient and small enough to carry with you in a shirt pocket or a purse.  While I loved that idea, I was not crazy about the cap that covered the spray top as it has on several occasions fallen off i my purse and sprayed on everything in my bag.  I got to really embrace the product on New Years eve when one of my guests accidentally dropped some food on his shirt.  I of course ran to my purse and pulled out the vial and immediately, without warning, started spraying the spot on my guests shirt.  Needless to say he was a bit surprised when his shirt now looked a lot worse then it had originally with the food stain on it.   After the Oxi-Spray dried the stain was still there.

However, after his shirt was laundered, the spot was totally removed!  Oxy-Clean once again gets my vote.  Of course if you don’t have any Oxi-Clean on hand, good old fashioned club soda will do as well.

The good news is that bad breath happens to everyone once in a while.  Also known as Halitosis is usually not a serious issue, but can lead to significant embarrassment and self-consciousness.  In rare cases it can be a sign of a more serious problem in which case you should seek out the advice of a doctor or dentist.

The most common causes of bad breath, aside from eating a sandwich loaded with onions or that garlic bagel, is bacteria on the tongue.  This bacteria can build up as a result of poor oral hygiene and a lack of flossing.

Triggers of bad breath may include:

• not eating breakfast
• food high in protein
• smoking
• antihistamines and other medications
• sinus problems
• mouth sores
• tooth infections or gum disease (aka gingivitis)
• stress
• dehydration
• significant talking
• zinc deficiency
• gastrointestinal disorders (such as indigestion or stomach issues)
• Serious illness such as cancer, tuberculosis or syphillis

Home Remedies and Natural Cures for Bad Breath

• Apple Cider Vinegar. My grandmother used to take a teaspoon of this a day to help boost her immune system as well.  Mix a 1/2 tsp. with water and use as a gargle for 10 seconds at a time.
• Baking Soda. Buy a toothpaste with baking soda in it or add your own to your toothpaste and brush with it regularly.  The baking soda neutralizes the bacteria.  Be sure to brush your tongue as well.
• Tea Tree Oil. Use as a toothpaste additive.  Add a drop to your toothpaste before you brush. or create a Tea Tree Oil mouthwash by adding 3 drops of the oil to a cup of warm water.  Gargle 2-3 times per day after each meal.
• Mint Leaves. Get yourself some fresh mint leaves and chew on them for a while.  Swallowing them is fine or spit them out when flavor subsides.
• Sunflower Seeds, Cardamom Seeds or Cloves. Grab a handful of one of these babies and munch away.  Then gulp down a glass of water. An enzyme in them helps break down odor causing bacteria.

Usually, there’s a less complicated reason for a bad breath then health issues — like what you had for lunch. So keep up with your brushing and flossing and you should be breathing easy — and odor free!