Food and Smoking

Food and smoking may be a lot more related than we think. A study published by Duke University Medical Center shows that certain foods can actually enhance the enjoyment one gets out of smoking, while other foods do the reverse. Among the stuff that actually make smoking taste better are coffee, alcohol, red meat, and anything caffeine. Meanwhile, foods that seem to interfere with the taste of smoking include fruits, dairy products, water, and vegetables.

If you’re having a hard time trying to quit smoking, maybe you can control what you eat at certain parts of the day when you feel most susceptible to smoke. The research is premilinary but it sure is a good method to try. Who knows, it just may work for you.

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Open Secrets To Young-Looking Skin

There are lots of ways to defy skin aging, such as purchasing expensive creams, getting surgical treatments, and more. But do you know that just sticking religiously to the basics can help you have younger looking skin for a much longer time? Here’s a reminder again of some of the bare necessities to achieve young looking skin.

1. Wear sunscreen! Health professionals, skin experts, beauty bloggers can’s stress it enough: these days, it’s not healthy anymore to go out without wearing sunscreen. So make sure you slather some SPF 15 on your face before heading out.

2. Lessen exposure to the sun. Unless it’s absolutely necessary, avoid direct exposure to sunlight. They say that if you want to look ten years older in no time at all, just expose yourself to sunlight for hours on end. Of course you wouldn’t want that.

3. Don’t smoke or stay near smoking people. Smoke totally dehydrates skin, sucking out the moisture and youthfulness of the skin.

4. Get regular sleep. Sleep deficiency will make your skin look stressed and tired all the time.

5. Eat a lot of fruits and nutritious food! The more healthy, antioxidant-loaded, and nutrient-filled you are, the more glowing your skin will be. Remember that what you take in (or not take in) will always reflect on how you look.

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Damaging Effects Of Smoking on Skin

Okay, so we know smoking is bad for you. But did you realize how bad it is for your skin. It used to be thought that have a cigarette in your hand made you look sexy or cool. You sure won’t look sexy with damaged and wrinkled skin, cigarette or not! So here’s more reasons to quit smoking….

Smoking causes wrinkles. Smokers are shown to have more wrinkles as well as them being deeper and noticeable. Cigarette smoking damages collagen and fibers in skin. This causes skin to be less firm and resilient. In the age of trying to stay young, maybe quit smoking should be another beauty tip.

This is one I notice all the time. Long term smokers tend to have dead-looking or gray facial skin. Skin also may appear leathery and thick. They also have broken veins on the nose and cheeks due to impaired circulation of smoking. Who wants to look old and leathery? No one, so why do it to yourself!

Smoking can also increase chances of developing skin cancer. Your skin is one thing you want to take care of. Why damage it by smoking? With the increase interest in beauty and health you would think smoking would be a thing of the past. But it’s not. Want to have beautiful skin, stop smoking…….

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Preventing Saggy Boobs

One of the female body parts that women (and men) highly place importance on are the breasts. After all, every female knows how much the male species get attracted to sexy and perky breasts. It is one of the focal points of female sexuality.

However, the inescapable truth is that breasts tend to lose their perkiness and elasticity with aging. This is why sagging breasts is one of the main concerns of women everywhere. Over time, gravity and other external factors can pull down the ligaments in our breasts and cause it to sag. While technology has given women the power to reverse the process and even enlarge (or reduce) the breasts through surgery, many women still fear of the risks involved in such operations. Not to mention the monetary costs of such.

The good news is there are ways to help lengthen the perkiness and elasticity of our breasts. Of course, these are not fool-proof, ultimate solutions, but following these few tips given by experts will surely benefit you in the quest to stay as sexy and as perky as you can.

1. Wear only the best supporting bras. Good supportive bras that hold your breasts firmly in place can counter the gravitational effect because these bras support your breast tissues despite constant movement. Women with big boobs in particular should really wear good supportive bras because big breasts are heavier and can cause more strain on the breast tissues. Furthermore, if you are an active female who likes to exercise or play sports, make sure you wear only the best sports bras that will prevent your breasts to jiggle a lot and lose their elasticity.

2. Drink a lot of water. Drinking a lot of water keeps you hydrated, and hydration keeps your skin elastic. Aside from water, consuming lots of fruits can also boost your hydration and keep skin elastic. So instead of reaching for that soft drink, opt to blend or reach for a natural fruit shake instead.

3. Maintain your weight. It’s true that gaining weight often means gaining larger breasts, but once you lose that weight, this also means a lot of unhealthy fat loss in the breast area. If you are overweight now, lose the weight through the proper ways and then stick to your healthy weight. Constant weight gain and weight loss stresses your breasts, affecting their youthful perkiness.

4. Do not smoke. Female smokers, here’s another reason why you should stop smoking. Incessant smoking highly affects skin elasticity in the long run, so unless you want droopy, dehydrated boobs before you reach your golden years, better quit while you can.

Care to share more tips to prevent saggy boobs?

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Tips on Teeth Whitening

Scared of yellowing teeth? Want to keep that bright and dazzling smile of yours for years to come? Check out these tips you may follow to ensure you keep your teeth and your smile white and stain-free.

1. Don’t smoke. Smoking leads to discoloration of teeth because it hampers the flow of saliva which cleans the lining of the mouth and teeth and protects the teeth from decay. Smoking also causes brown tooth stains which are nicotine and tar that get deposited on the teeth. In addition, more than staining the teeth smoking can actually result to loss of teeth because of the strong substances of tobacco. Stay away from smoking if you care for your teeth.

2. Watch what you put in your mouth. What you put in your mouth on a regular basis can greatly affect your teeth. Consuming a lot berries, soy sauce, red wine, coffee, tea, cola, fruit juices, and vinegar-based foods can stain your teeth the way it can stain any white substance it comes in contact with. Citrus fruits contain acid that can speed up deterioration of the enamel. Acidic foods like vinegar can open up the pores of the tooth enamel and stain. Sports drinks and energy drinks contain acids as well that may break down calcium and may even be more damaging to your teeth than cola-based beverages. Highly processed sugars can speed up the yellowing of teeth and decay, as well as extremely hot or cold substances.

You don’t have to avoid all of these food and drinks, but after enjoying them, it would help if you immediately rinse your mouth with water. You can also reverse the yellowing process by eating foods that are natural whiteners. These include fruits like pears and apples, dark vegetables like broccoli, spinach and cauliflowers, and high fiber foods.

3. Maintain a good hygiene. Inadequate brushing and flossing can heighten tooth discoloration. It is important to brush and floss regularly to reduce or prevent stains. You can also use whitening toothpastes that help partially in the whitening process. Just make sure that the whitening toothpaste you chose have undergone a professional clinical trial, because many whitening toothpastes in the market have not. It is best to ask an expert as well, such as your doctor or dentist.

4. Have regular dental cleanings. Regular dental cleanings removes external staining of teeth caused by food or tobacco. Professional cleaning is especially vital if stains have been present for years.

5. Drink mineral water. Drinking water keeps your teeth hydrated. In addition, the more mineral content your teeth has, the stronger it is to fight against possible stains. Thus, it will be helpful to drink at least six glasses of mineral water every day.

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Preventing Back Pain

It’s a known fact that as we grow older, our bones turn brittle and become weaker. One of the first manifestations of this is back pain. Just how can we slow down the process and be more productive without dealing with aches in the back? Here are a few tips given by experts that you may find useful.

1. Watch your weight. Being overweight can cause a lot of back problems because the spine has to counterbalance a lot of extra weight, particularly in the front midsection or the belly area. Women who have too large for comfort breasts may also experience back issues. So remember to keep your weight at a normal level. More than protecting you against major diseases in your later years, keeping your weight balanced also saves you from a lot of present back pain.

2. Slow down, brake and rest. Do you know that long car rides can damage your lower back? This is because the constant body vibration caused by speed and bumps affects your lower back and heightens risk of pain. It is important to slow down when the road gets rough because speed magnifies the effect of bumps. If you’re in for a long drive, remember to stop once in a while, rest, and stretch your body.

3. Relax. Studies around the globe have shown that a lot of back pain is caused by tremendous amount of stress and pressure. It is vital to take time to relax and do away with work or personal issues that cause you a lot of stress. Exercise, go to spas and have a massage, and do other things that you know relieve you and soothe your body tensions.

4. Sleep in the proper way. When you sleep, do not lie on your stomach because it causes your back to bend and creates a lot of pressure on your lower spine. The best positions are usually lying on your side or your back. In addition, sleeping in a bed or mattress that is not firm and flat can cause a lot of back pain. If you are currently sleeping in the same mattress you have used for many years now, it may be time to change and buy a new one. No matter how much you’ve become used to your mattress and feel comfortable in it, it may actually be the cause of some of the back pains you are experiencing.

5. Don’t smoke. Here’s another reason why you should stop smoking: cigarette smoke can reduce the flow of your blood to the spine, leading to herniation of a disk in your back. Thus, unless you want to suffer from a lot of back pain before you even reach your prime years, do away with the smokes.

Do you have more tips?

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Take Care Of Your Eyes!

They say the eyes are the windows to the soul… but it won’t be the windows to your soul for long if you do not take care of it! Always remember these scientifically proven habits to ensure you have a great vision and captivating peepers for many more years:

1. Don’t read in poor lighting.

This tends to blur the vision and can also induce unwanted headaches. Sometimes it seems that we have no choice but to study or read materials in poor lighting, but before you do it, think twice and remember what it can do to your eyes. Refrain also from reading in moving vehicles. Doing so forces your eyes to adjust to constant movement of the texts in the page, which strains them and may lead to blurry vision if done regularly. If you’re bored in a long ride or in the middle of a traffic jam, just listen to music or admire the surroundings. If the surroundings are ugly, just close your eyes and take a healthy nap.

2. Eat a lot of “eye stuff”, like yes, carrots.

Remember all those times when you were a kid and your mom or other adults would encourage you to eat carrots because it is supposedly good for the eyes? Well, contrary to the statement of other people saying it is just a myth and one of those old sayings, carrots do help the eyes as it is packed with beta-carotene, which the body converts to vitamin A, which in turn can reduce the chance of night blindness or cataracts. However, it won’t improve anyone’s vision and give you 20/20 eyesight even if you eat sacks of it. It’s simply a great “preventive” food.

3. Cover your eyes the “cool” way.

As I mentioned in a previous post, the sun is not as good as it used to be, and when you plan or have no choice to be exposed to it, please protect your lovely peepers. Wearing sunglasses need not just be a fashion accessory – it is actually a protection tool for the eyes as it does block harmful ultraviolet rays.

4. Quit the smokes!

Another bad news to all the smokers, as if there ain’t enough bad news already: According to doctors, smoking increases the risk of cataracts and optic nerve damage. If lunch cancer and bad skin aren’t enough reasons to quit, then maybe your beloved vision is.