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From the antioxidant benefits of tomatoes to “the incredible edible egg”, people are turning from fad diets and processed foods to more natural, wholesome fare. Health-conscious people are also resorting to homeopathic remedies for common aches and pains, as well as more natural alternatives for skincare. One of the most overlooked resources for wellness both inside and out is the common cucumber. This garden staple has become a standard for fragrances, bath products and aromatherapy, but the nutritional benefits have historically been overlooked in favor of more savory, colorful foods. It may be surprising to find this produce-aisle standard is a veritable treasure trove of nutrients and minerals necessary to good health and wellness.

Cucumbers contain most of the vitamins needed to meet standard recommended daily nutritional needs. Just one cucumber contains vitamin B1, vitamin B2, vitamin B3, Vitamin B5, Vitamin B6, folic acid, vitamin C, calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium and zinc. According to the National Institutes of Health, each of the nutrients the cucumber provides is essential to good health. Vitamin B6 is essential for proper nervous- and immune-system functionality. Vitamin B12 is important for nerve and blood function and is involved with the production of DNA. Magnesium is one of the most important minerals our bodies need. It is stored mostly in bone. Magnesium is important in the function of many of the body’s systems including blood sugar, metabolism, muscle and nerve function, and blood pressure.

Cucumbers are not just good for gaining necessary nutrients, but are also excellent for snacking. Having next to no calories, sodium or fat, they provide a filling, healthy snack without risking packing on the pounds. When you are feeling tired in the afternoon, put down the caffeinated soda and pick up a cucumber. Cucumbers are a good source of B Vitamins and carbohydrates that can provide that quick pick-me-up that can last for hours. Looking to fight off that afternoon or evening snacking binge? Cucumbers have been used for centuries and often used by people for quick meals to thwart off starvation, because they store well.

Beyond the necessary nutrients cucumbers provide, they are excellent for home remedies and natural treatments. Here are a few natural remedies you can try at home:

• The meat of the cucumber is excellent for a cooling touch on tired eyes. Cool, fresh slices of cucumber are perfect for a quick spa treatment. If the cucumber has been refrigerated, the coolness will alleviate puffiness and under-eye redness, while the hydrating properties will reduce fine lines and wrinkles.

• Cucumbers are purported to be a quick way to minimize the appearance of cellulite? Rub a slice or two of cucumber along your problem area for a few minutes. The enzymes in the cucumber will cause the outer layer off collagen to firm and tighten and reduce the visibility of cellulite. This works well for reducing the appearance of wrinkles as well.

• If you want to avoid a hangover or terrible headache, eat a few cucumber slices before going to bed and wake up without the traditional headache and groggy, flu-like symptoms. Sugar, B vitamins and electrolytes in the cucumber replenish nutrients the body loses, keeping everything in equilibrium, avoiding a hangover and the ensuing headache.

• When you are stressed out and don’t have time for massage, facial or visit to the spa, cut up an entire cucumber and place it in a boiling pot of water. The chemicals and nutrients from the cucumber react with the boiling water and is released in the steam, creating a soothing, relaxing aroma that has been shown reduce stress.

• When you have just finished a date and realize you don’t have gum or mints you can take a slice of cucumber and press it to the roof of your mouth with your tongue for thirty seconds to eliminate bad breath.

• According to Christina Venessa Becherer of Livestrong.com, the skin of the cucumber is just as nutrient-packed as the meat, and is a good source of fiber, imperative to good digestive system function.

Long overlooked as both a food and remedy source, cucumbers are an inexpensive, simple staple to keep around the house for snacking, quick home remedies and as an alternative to expensive, harsh beauty products. The next time you are looking for a quick, low-calorie snack, or a natural home spa treatment, try the lowly cucumber.

Trina L. Grant is an award-winning professional freelance writer specializing in health and wellness topics. She enjoys sharing her knowledge of healthy lifestyles with others. Check out more about health and wellness on her website.

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I think it’s safe to say that the average person’s diet sucks. Whether you’re binge burger eating or riding the latest dieting fad, chances are your diet lacks some vital components. Here are a few foods you should consider adding into the mix.

1) Salmon- It’s no secret that salmon holds the title of healthiest meat. The reason? Omega-3 fatty acids. With heart disease topping cause-of-death charts, Omega-3 fatty acids offer a way to lower your chances of heart-related problems. Salmon contains more Omega-3 fatty acids than most other fish choices.

Some people fear mercury poisoning when it comes to eating fish, but don’t let it stop you from eating salmon. Like everything else, moderation is the key. So whether you throw it on the grill or pop it in the oven, make sure your personal menu places salmon near the top of the protein section.

2) Broccoli- One of the most versatile vegetables, broccoli provides a healthy side dish for almost any meal you can imagine. Place it on a baked potato, throw it in a stir-fry, or use it in soup. However you choose to prepare it, this fiber-rich vegetable will help you get to the bathroom on a regular basis. The indole-3-carbinol it contains, along with other antioxidants, helps promote proper hormonal balance and might even ward off cancer. The benefits are endless and you can find it all year- broccoli never goes out of season.

3) Eggs- Did you know that 6 grams of protein hide out in each egg? One egg also contains 5 grams of fat, but the kind of fat your body wants. Often people avoid eating eggs because they assume egg consumption will send their cholesterol levels through the roof. Fortunately, that’s not necessarily true. Controlled consumption will keep your cholesterol levels in check, allowing you to reap egg benefits.

4) Quinoa- Qui-what? Maybe you haven’t heard of it before, but Quinoa (pronounced “kee-noh-uh” or “keen-wah”) is currently gaining momentum as a fad super-food for hipsters everywhere. Don’t let the hype turn you away, this seed is the real deal. Quinoa supplies your body with protein rich in all 9 amino acids. Boasting 5 grams of fiber per serving and a wide array of vitamins, Quinoa reportedly fights cancer, heart disease, and migraine headaches.

5) Oatmeal- No, I’m not talking about the instant oatmeal with swirls of syrupy goop that you used to eat as a little kid. I’m talking about real oatmeal with all its whole grain goodness. Whole grains mean soluble fiber to keep your colon clean and clear. Offering a gram of soluble fiber and a mere 150 calories per half-cup serving, oatmeal matches perfectly with berries or chopped up bananas mixed in, allowing you to get your fruit needs for the day.

6) Celery- Before I delve into the benefits of celery consumption, let’s bust the myth- Celery is not a “negative calorie” food. There’s no such thing and I just can’t seem to wrap my mind around why this debunked myth still exists. That said, you might wonder how celery still made this list. While celery doesn’t give you negative calories, it provides relatively few- about 6 calories per average-sized stick. And those aren’t empty calories either. Celery contains double-digit vitamins such as C, A, E, K, and Zinc. It also contains phthalides and polyacetylenes, known cancer fighting agents.

Of course this list of invaluable foods isn’t all-inclusive. What foods would you add?

Have you tried exercising in the past but not gotten the results you’d hoped for? Chances are, it’s because you were committing one of these common exercise mistakes.

• Focusing on one area of the body—If you go to the gym regularly, you’ve surely run across the guy who only seems to work out his arms. Every single day, there he is doing the exact same lifting routine over and over. As a result, he looks like a bad carton character with huge arms, a beer gut, and chicken legs. Set aside days to target each area of your body. That way, you’ll be well-rounded and in the top condition possible.
• Doing too much, too quickly—Rome wasn’t built in a day and neither will the body you want be. Getting into shape requires consistency and dedication. Killing yourself on the treadmill after months of inactivity won’t get the job done. Instead, it will lead to burn out, causing you to eventually stop exercising altogether.
• Keeping the same routine for months at a time—Performing the same routine week in and week out for months at a time will cause you to plateau. In other words, your body will adapt to the workout, and it will no longer challenge your muscles. Mix your routine up regularly to keep challenging your body and to keep yourself from getting bored.
• Poor technique—Even the most ardent gym rats often have poor technique. That’s because they were never officially trained on how to lift correctly. This poses 2 huge negatives: 1)Lifting incorrectly means you won’t enjoy the full results of the exercise and 2)More importantly, improper technique puts you at serious risk for injury. One wrong movement can tear a muscle, sidelining you for months.
• Not setting goals—If you don’t have any goals, how can you tell if you’re progressing with your workouts? You need tangible, realistic goals so that you can measure your results. Whether your goal is as simple as losing a certain number of pounds or being able to lift a certain amount of weight, the key is to write these goals down and to make sure you’re progressing toward them at a reasonable rate.
• Not eating properly—Exercise alone just isn’t enough. Just because you hit the gym for an hour a night doesn’t justify eating 3 meals of fast food each day. Find a healthy diet plan that fits within your lifestyle so you can get the maximum results from your workout routine.

Do you exercise regularly? What mistakes have you made that have held you back? Share your best tips in the replies.

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Are you afraid of vegetables? You think I’ve gone crazy, but there are people who get all anxious when they see vegetables.

A bizarre fear that many of you may not have heard of before: the fear of vegetables.  This fear affects a few thousand people in Britain and treatments for it include “psychological reprogramming” to control the anxious response to vegetables.

This problem often significantly impacts the quality of life.  Symptoms include rapid breathing, irregular heartbeat, shortness of breath, nausea, sweating and mainly the feeling of dread. Different people have this fear for different vegetables.

A perfect example of this phobia is 22-year-old British student Vicki Larrieux from Portsmouth.  She survives on a diet of potatoes, cereals, meat and perhaps an apple once in a while.  She is left sweating and panic stricken at the sight of a pea or a sprout.

She was quoted as saying, “I have always had an irrational fear of vegetables – even as a child.  I used to properly freak out if some carrots or a few peas were on my plate.  But as it continued into adult life I started to think it might not just be a dislike of vegetables but an actual phobia.  Every time I would see vegetables, not just on my plate but anywhere, I would get feelings of panic, start sweating and my heart rate would shoot up.”

Vicky’s condition makes even a routine trip to the supermarket or a dinner on a night out with her boyfriend a major problem her.  She says, “It is a bit of an ordeal to go to the supermarket as the vegetables are usually right by the door. My boyfriend is very understanding and does his best to accommodate me.  It is a good job he isn’t a vegetarian because it just wouldn’t work.  I am learning to control my fear but it isn’t easy.  I’d love to be able to sit down to a Sunday roast with a pile of greens and I’m sure one day that will happen.”

This is no doubt a highly distressing condition and the worst part is that the therapies aimed at curing this phobia of vegetables take months or even year.  While many experts believe that the only way to get rid of this fear is to expose the patient to the source of this fear frequently; there are some that believe this is not the right way to go about it as it aggravates the condition further.

There are some experts that suggest that this fear of vegetables is developed early in childhood when the child doesn’t like vegetables. In an attempt to avoid vegetables at any cost, they start behaving irrationally and this slowly develops into a fear as they grow older.  It is all related to the way they have tuned their minds all through their growing up years.

Though behavioral therapy and anti-anxiety medication are usually prescribed to treat this disease, it is suggested that people begin with self help groups that may help them get over this fear.

There are other forms of lachanophobia, such as lachanophobia mycosis – fear of mushrooms and lachanophobia lycopersicum – fear of tomatoes. While most parents tend to dismiss this as a childish tantrum, it has in recent times come out into the open as an actual fear that needs to be treated.

I have shocking news for you. Many of the foods that are often marketed as “healthy” really aren’t good for you at all. Shocking, right? I mean who would have ever imagined that a company would stretch the truth or use misleading information in their advertisements?

Okay, enough of the sarcasm, let’s get down to business. Which foods have been tricking you into thinking they were good for you? Here are the top 7 culprits.

1.    Granola bars—We’ve all seen the commercials: The super fit mom on her way to work in the morning choosing her oh-so-healthy granola bar over the evil fast food breakfast. Unfortunately, most granola bars are stripped of nearly all their fiber, and they’re often crammed with sugar. Even the healthiest granola bars (the ones that don’t have chocolate chips, sugar frosting, etc.) still have very low levels of protein and fiber.

2.    Fast food salads—As we all are growing more aware of our expanding waistlines, those benevolent folks at the fast food chains are here to help us make healthy eating decisions. No more greasy burgers for you! Now, you can get a nice salad from the drive-thru and feel good about yourself. Until you read this. These salads are full of high-fat dressing, fried meats, croutons, and even sugar. In fact, a Crispy Bacon Ranch Salad at McDonalds has more fat and calories than a Big Mac.

3.    Yogurt cups—Always check the label on yogurt before you buy it. Many (especially those fruit-on-the-bottom ones) are crammed full of sugar. Some contain just as much fat and calories as ice cream.

4.    Fruit juice—Loaded with high fructose corn syrup, most fruit juices are nothing more than an overdose of sugar. Instead, try to make your own fruit juice at home.

5.    Fat-free snacks—Once again, here comes sugar. In order to make ‘low fat” or “fat-free” snacks appetizing, manufacturers load the products with sugar. Always read labels.

6.    Cereal—Are you starting to notice the theme here? More sugar. Even many of the so-called “healthy” cereal options still have too much sugar in them. Don’t be fooled by a cereal box with the “whole grain” label. Check the ingredients: often times, you’ll find that sugar appears far in front of whole grains.

7.    Bagels—Another refined bread product that can increase blood sugar levels excessively. Some experts say a bagel is the equivalent of 6 slices of bread. They are also often very high in calories.

Did any of the foods on this list surprise you?

It’s no secret that a poor diet can lead to poor health. Scientists and doctors agree that poor nutrition can contribute to a patient’s likelihood to develop a number of significant health problems. Some important health problems that can be negatively impacted by a poor diet include: high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and type 2 diabetes. Even heart attacks and strokes may be related to a patient’s poor diet. In fact, there is a current trend towards patients developing these detrimental diet-related ailments in the United States and in most Western countries.

It is quite possible to reverse the trend of poor health caused by a poor diet. The answer is to eat healthier, more nutritious foods and to increase the amount of exercise each individual does. Most people would like to follow a more nutritional diet plan, but they simply don’t have the knowledge to accomplish their goal. Much of the average person’s diet consists of fats, carbohydrates, and proteins. People simply don’t know what foods are best for them and they may not have the resources to get the information that they need.

Fortunately, scientists and doctors have now discovered a group of fourteen foods that are so nutritious that they have been referred to as “super foods.” These foods contain an unusually high amount of nutrients. The nutrients found in these so-called “super foods” are vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients. They are also high in anti-oxidants, which may help the body fight the damaging effects of free radicals. In addition, most healthy foods are high in fiber content. In native populations where the popular diet consists of dishes containing many of these “super foods,” the incidence of diet-related health problems is much lower.

Healthy foods are generally natural or whole foods. Look for foods that are not highly processed and do not contain high levels of added salt, sugar, or other food additives. Nutritional foods may be either fresh or frozen. Fortunately, nutritional foods are not really very difficult to find. Most supermarkets and grocery stores already have aisles that are filled with fresh and frozen produce. Armed with the right information about nutrition, the average consumer can make the right choices and begin to follow a healthful diet.

Getting right information about nutrition is vital to continuing good health. It’s important to base your food choices on foods that will provide the most nutritional value. Look for a nutritional plan that has been reviewed and approved by doctors and scientists. Keep current by following the latest news about the relationship between diet and health problems. An educated consumer is better prepared to make proper food selections. Consumers who have specific questions pertaining to their health should consult with a physician.

Health problems caused by poor nutrition can be reduced. A diet rich in nutrients can help individuals to feel healthier. Natural foods are generally much better food choices than highly processed foods. It’s important to learn what foods contain the most nutrients and try to work those healthy foods into your daily diet.

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Guest Post by Lauren Smith who is a contributing editor for SuperFoodsRx.com, a site dedicated to helping people achieve a healthy lifestyle through nutrition information, food recipes, and health supplements.

“To my favorite honeydew, do you carrot all for me?
My heart beets for you, with your turnip nose, and radish face.
You are a peach. If we cantaloupe, lettuce marry.
Weed make a swell pear.” ~ Author – unknown

“Eat your vegetables and fruits” is one of the most heard recommendations and it holds true for every age group, from children to the elderly.

Most people that eat meat do not consume enough vegetables and fruits. They believe that their nutritional requirement is being met with meat. This is a totally wrong notion as plant food includes more fiber and less cholesterol and fat than a meat diet.

Irrespective of the age of the person, it is important to ensure that the body is deriving the benefits of all the essential nutrients, by eating a well-balanced diet with the addition of plenty of vegetables and fruits. This will provide the body with the much needed vitamins and proteins that keep all sorts of diseases, such as heart diseases at bay.

Researchers have confirmed that a diet rich in fruits and vegetables lowers the risk of stroke and heart disease. They believe that the higher the intake of fruits and vegetables, the lower the chances of cardiovascular disease. Although, all the vegetables and fruits contribute towards the health of the heart, green leafy vegetables such as spinach, lettuce, mustard greens and Swiss chard; cruciferous vegetables such as cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage, Brussels sprouts; citrus fruits such as lemons, limes, grapefruit and oranges (even juice) are excellent for the heart.

The main risk for stroke and heart disease is high blood pressure, which needs to be kept under control. People take medications on a regular basis and diet is considered to be an extremely effective means of lowering blood pressure. Consuming a diet rich in vegetables and fruits has been found by researchers to lower the systolic blood pressure by almost 11 mm Hg and the diastolic blood pressure by 6 mm Hg, which is as good as any medication. Blood pressure can be lowered even more when carbohydrates in the diet are replaced with unsaturated fat or protein.

Vegetables and fruits have been found to be excellent for the gastrointestinal track. The indigestible fiber acts as a sponge and soaks in the moisture as it passes through the digestive system and this calms the irritable bowel and triggers regular bowel movements, preventing constipation. This soaking and expansion of the fiber also ensures that there is no pressure in the intestinal track and thus helps prevent diseases such as diverticulosis and diverticulitis.

All of us have read that carrots are good for the eyes. This is because they contain vitamin A. Eating lots of vegetables and fruits keeps the vision clear and the eyes healthy, by preventing two age-related eye diseases, such as macular degeneration and cataract.

Cancer is serious business and a person suffering from cancer goes through hell, physically and emotionally. Researchers conducted several studies on the role of vegetables and fruits in preventing this dreaded disease. They say that certain vegetables and fruits may have the potential to protect against certain types of cancers. American Institute for Cancer Research reveals that non-starchy vegetables, such as lettuce and green leafy vegetables, broccoli, cabbage, which is also called the vegetable as wise as a man, onions and garlic (said to be as good as ten mothers,) and some fruits could probably protect against cancers of the throat, mouth, esophagus, voice box, stomach and the esophagus. They also think that fruits may protect against lung cancer.

Pollution, cigarette smoke and sunlight cause damage to the eyes. Dark leafy vegetables such as kale and spinach, and vegetables such as grapes, corn, kiwi and squash contain lutein and zeaxanthin pigments, which protect the eyes from harm.

It would help to understand a few simple things, such as the fact that vitamin C helps with the absorption of iron from plant foods. This vitamin can be found in tomatoes, broccoli, cabbage, citrus fruits as well as in many other vegetables and fruits. Foods containing Vitamin C taken along with foods containing iron helps in greater absorption of iron in the body. Potatoes are best avoided on a daily basis.

No single vegetable or fruit provides all the nutrients, so it is essential to choose different varieties and consume them in good-sized servings with each and every meal. It is easier to reach the goal of eating plenty of vegetables and fruits by serving up salads or stir frying them.

Time to frequent that fresh vegetable and fruit market – it is better to eat vegetables and fruits and fear no creditors (health problems,) rather than eating a duck and fearing them.

I am sure everyone who grew up listening to, “I yam what I yam and that’s all I yam,” would remember Popeye the sailor. For mothers, it was the “spinach advantage” as they could get the kids to eat spinach by telling them that they would possess superhuman strength just like Popeye.

It is amazing to note that all the spinach farmers from Crystal City honored Popeye by erecting his statue in the town, for saving the spinach industry from dying. The influence these cartoon characters have is simply unbelievable.

Scientists now are singing the same song as Popeye, that it is possible to get bulging biceps like Popeye, by eating his favorite food – spinach. They have recently found that this green leafy vegetable does boost the strength, because spinach contains phyteocdysteroids, a type of steroid that works on development of muscles.

Scientists used extracts of phyteocdysteroids on lab samples of muscles and were amazed to find that the muscle growth speeded up by almost 20%.

Even studies conducted on rats saw an increase in the strength of the rats in just one short month.
Researchers say that eating spinach, apart from being good for increasing muscle growth, is also very good for the eyes, teeth, gum problems and anemia. It has the potential to keep a lot of frequently occurring diseases at bay.

Looks like the creators of Popeye could look into the future too. There is a story that goes to say that they in fact wanted to make garlic as Popeye’s strength enhancer, when they were devising the original comic in 1919, but by 1932 he was eating spinach that gave him his superhuman powers.

They decided on spinach, because in general, spinach was extremely healthy. Previously, it was also used for curing scurvy, because of its high iron content, although in reality it contains less iron than many other vegetables. But many other health giving properties of spinach have been discovered since then.

Spinach is also said to have several heart benefits and can strengthen the heart and reduce heart attacks as well as boosting survival rates.

In spite of the fact that spinach has been discovered to increase muscle strength, getting biceps like Popeye is something else, and may not be possible even with spinach. Researchers say that you may be able to achieve that, but by eating at least one kilo of spinach a day.

In 2006, spinach was one of the trendiest foods in Britain and sales soared by 30% after several health gurus started calling it the health food and TV channels advertised this no end.

Spinach has been proven to be good for health, for both adults and children, for a long time now and this new study only reinforces the fact by adding one more new benefit of eating spinach.

Time to enjoy some spinach soup! Fry some onions, add some water, add green peas, add a chicken soup cube. When the peas are cooked, add lots of spinach and grind this whole thing into a paste. Add milk to this paste till the required consistency is achieved and heat well before serving. Go slow on the salt as the chicken cube has been used.

Researchers do a lot of work to learn facts in the hope that it will be of help to people.