Hungry? Healthier Vending Machine Choices

You're sitting at your desk, it's 11:00 a.m., and your normal lunch time is still a few hours away.You have a couple of choices.You can go back in time and remind your 7:00 a.m.self to pack an apple and a handful of granola.Or you can grab a snack from the vending machine.

Unless you find yourself in the kind of place full of hip, cutting-edge vending machines that are filled with healthy foods, you probably don't have a whole lot of choice.And if you're trying to cut calories, eat healthier, or just shave a few pounds off the weight posted on your internet dating profile, you may feel like anything you choose will sabotage all of your efforts.No so.While most of what you find in a vending machine will do your body a lot more bad than good, there are healthy choices to be found.You just have to know where to look.

Good Salty and Sweet Snacks

Pretzels.

Because pretzels are the most "famous baked snack" they're also the healthiest.Most servings of pretzels contain just over 100 calories per serving and about 1 gram of fat.Not too shabby.Plus, they're salty, crunchy, and take just a little extra effort to chew...which makes them that much more satisfying to eat.

Nuts.Yes, nuts are high in fat and calories.But the fat you'll find in most nuts not only isn't harmful for you, it's actually beneficial to your heart.And while your average packet of vending machine peanuts has a full 280 calories, you rarely need to eat a whole package to feel satisfied.Full of protein and healthy fats, nuts are tasty, healthy, and deeply satisfying.Don't see any almonds or peanuts in your company's vending machines?Sunflower seeds are a great option, too.Plus, they're a lot of work to open and eat, making them a great long-lasting snack.

Baked Chips.Yes, commercial corn snacks and chips are full of chemicals and they're not great for you-- even the baked kind.But sometimes you just need a little taste of something salty with an ingredients list a mile long.If so, the baked versions of your favorite fried snacks are a far better choice.They're almost as tasty as their fried counterparts, but a lot better on the waistline.

Hard Candies.Have a sweet tooth and want a sweet snack that won't ruin your diet?Choose a packet of hard candies, such as Life Savers or lollipops.Each small candy lasts for minutes and minutes on end (unless you chew them, so don't!), and is lower in calories than almost any other sweet in the vending machine.In fact, one Lifesaver has only 15 calories...so suck away!

Animal Crackers.With all of the cookies and pastries and snacks in your average vending machine, Animal Crackers often go ignored.But they shouldn't, because of all of the sweet snacks in the vending machine, Animal Crackers are by far the best for you.They've only got about 120 calories per serving and about 2 grams of fat.They're just slightly sweet, wonderfully crunchy, and pretty darned satisfying for 120 calories.You'll miss eating that big chocolate chip cookie, sure, but...your waistline wont.

Vending Foods to Avoid at All Costs

Fried Chips.

You didn't expect to see your favorite flavor of Doritos on the "good food" list, did you?Your average bag of fried snack chips will run you about 10 grams of fat and far more calories than you want for a mid-morning snack.And if you get a bag every day...goodbye diet.

"Juice" Drinks.These look innocent, and are covered with pictures of dew-moistened fruits and plump berries.But most of them have way more sugar than they have actual fruit juice.Read the label, and steer clear of anything that's not actual juice.Go for a sugar free tea or fat-free milk instead.

Grandma's Cookies.One packet of those tasty (but small) Grandma's Cookies is almost 400 calories.Enough said.

Poptarts.Poptarts seem like such an easy choice if you've missed breakfast or want a sweet mid-morning snack.After all, how can something with the consistency of cardboard be high calorie?Well, they are.Your average Poptart has about 210 calories...which means that the 2-tart package you just ate was 420 calories.That's not much more than two Snickers bars!

Don't let your local vending machine ruin your waistline.Armed with a little knowledge about the right choices, it's easy to have a healthier snack on the run.

About the Author

This article was written by Shawn Wilson, a member of the customer support team at Datepad, where internet dating is always free.

Datepad has a massive directory of informative dating articles along with a great list of dating site reviews on their dating blog.

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This Is Your Liver On Drugs

Here is an interesting fact about the liver, if
as much as one quarter of a healthy liver is removed, the organ can fully regenerate itself, growing back to its normal size and shape.

That's a neat trick, but it's just one of the many wonders of the liver.Over the past year we've seen stacks of studies that underline the importance of vitamin D intake.Well, the liver actually produces vitamin D.And then stores it.And then performs hundreds of other essential tasks, everything from regulating blood sugar to processing every nutrient absorbed in the intestines.

But even the mighty liver has its limits, which many of us test every day without knowing.One of the most common causes of acute liver failure is drug-induced liver injury (DILI).

About five years ago, researchers at Indiana University School of Medicine began testing patients with DILI to record the specific source of their injury.When Indiana team had gathered information on 300 patients, they analyzed the data and published the following results in the journal Gastroenterology...

Nearly 75 percent of the injuries were caused by the use of an individual prescription drug.Antibiotics accounted for the majority of DILIs.Eighteen percent were caused by a combination of two or more drugs or supplements.Nine percent were caused by dietary supplements alone (weight loss formulas and muscle-building supplements accounted for the large majority of these), and Patients with diabetes tended to have more severe DILIs.

An American Gastroenterological Association press release about the Indiana research notes that DILI is the most common reason early tests of new drugs are abandoned, the most common reason drugs fail to be approved, and the most common reason drugs are withdrawn or restricted after they've been approved.

Antibiotics are commonly overused and are often prescribed for viral problems, which antibiotics can't treat.But if you have a health challenge that requires frequent or multiple antibiotic use, but there are basic steps to help keep your liver in good working order.

Eat fresh, whole foods, exercise regularly, keep your weight down, take supplements that support liver function: vitamins B,C and E, zinc, lecithin and milk thistle.

You can further help your liver by avoiding foods that are highly processed and contain chemicals such as preservatives and dyes.Avoid synthetic medications and even aerosol products.

The liver's work is actually a litte mysterious ,probably because it does such a wide variety of things, performing more than 500 individual tasks.Think of your liver as the Grand Central Station of your body.Every nutrient that's absorbed through the intestines gets processed in the liver.In addition, the liver produces vitamin D, and then stores it, along with minerals such as iron, and the fat-soluble vitamins A, E, and K.Helps regulate blood sugar and produces and assimilates many enzymes and hormones.Secretes bile, necessary for fat digestion, manufactures proteins, cholesterol, and elements that support the immune system while maintaining the correct levels of many body chemicals and storing energy.

But you might say that the liver takes the good with the bad, because along with nutrients, the liver also cleans the blood of many toxins (including alcohol and environmental residues) and processes every drug that enters the body.

So don't let anyone ever tell you you're not getting anything done.Your liver alone does the work of ten men every day.

About the Author

Joni Bell has many years of extensive study in the area of natural cancer prevention and treatment.

He has numerous success stories of people being diagnosed living cancer free with use of alternative methods.Ask Joni Bell!

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Catnip, More Than Just For Cats?Of Course!

Catnip is the common name for a perennial herb of the mint family.Catnip is native to Europe and is imported into the United States.In North America it is a common and widespread weed.

Catnip, is the common name for a perennial herb of the mint family.Catnip is native to Europe and is imported into the United States.Catnip is most popular with cats and the reaction that it causes in them when they receive some dried nip from their owner.

They roll around in it in all of their glory.The fact is that humans do not smell what cats smell when it comes to catnip so humans do not react the same way that cats do.

It is known that the chemical nepetalactone in catnip is the thing that triggers the response.Apparently, it somehow kicks off a stereotypical pattern in cats that are sensitive to the chemical.Catnip contains volatile oils, sterols, acids, and tannins.

Catnip has been used for ornamental and culinary purposes and as a domestic folk-medicine remedy.Catnip, in combination with Eugenia caryophyllata, and Sassafras bidum, has been used as poultice for aching teeth in the American Ozark Mountains.Catnip is known in scientific nomenclature as "Nepeta cataria".

Catnip buds are the most potent form of catnip, next to the essential oil itself.Catnip prefers to grow in dry, semi arid places, and can be found along hedge rows and fence lines.Catnip is a perennial herb found growing wild throughout North America and Europe where it is thought to have originated.

Catnip has a long history of use in alternative medicine, being employed especially in treating disorders of the digestive system and, as it stimulates sweating, it is useful in reducing fevers.One cannot observe catnip's remarkable and sudden, if transient, effect on cat behavior without suspecting that something chemical is afoot.

As for catnip use in humans several ailments are treated with the use of catnip, including the treatment of colic, headache, colds, and spasms, as well as antibacterial properties that it also has.Many English cooks also seasoned meats with this herb, during the 15th century the herb was also used in salads for a pinch of seasoning.

In many areas catnip is the preferred tea over Chinese tea.It induces sleep in many people but does just the opposite in others.It can also be used as a very effective roach repellant.

Catnip plants enjoy sun and are drought-tolerant, making them good candidates for sunny, dry areas where many other flowers would struggle.Catnip plants are not just for cats: like so many herbs, they also have culinary and medicinal uses, whether used fresh or dried..

When harvesting catnip for cats, all parts of the plant are utilized.Although catnip is best known for its intoxicating influence on cats, humans also make use of its biological properties.Very young and senior cats do not respond as much, or at all, to catnip.Other cats appear to become very sedate after exposure.

Women who are breastfeeding should not use catnip to avoid possibly passing it to the infant in breast milk.Older children should be watched carefully for signs of side effects if they take catnip by mouth.When applied to the skin, catnip may cause allergic reactions--especially for individuals who are sensitive to it or to other plants in the mint family.

About the Author

Jim Woodall, does internet and Niche mktg.

Visit his Herbs website at: http:jwoodl.com/herbs videos and news visit http://freegiveaways.jwoodl.com/index.html get your 3 free ebooks on Marketing, NO OBLIGATION

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Breaking the Habit of Smoking

Trying to quit smoking might be one of the hardest things you will ever do.The severity of the addiction and the reason for the addiction will play roles in your ability to quit.One common complaint of why it is so hard is due to the habit of smoking, not just the addiction to nicotine.To break the habit of smoking, and the urge to do something with your hands and mouth, it is important to find a healthy alternative.It took you a while to get the habit of smoking; therefore it is going to take you a while to break the habit.

If you have your mind set to quit smoking you have already started on your journey to becoming a non-smoker.If you decided to become healthier by your own choice, not because your health has already been affected, is even better.You may be shocked to find out that some people had never thought of stopping smoking until their doctor recommended it.

To have a greater chance of becoming a non-smoker, it is best if you decide to quit on your own.Being coerced into not smoking by someone else can also be obtained, however, your odds of quitting are better if it is your decision.If you are allowing someone to force you to quit smoking you may be setting yourself up to fail.

Most smokers have made smoking a routine, and, if you are like most smokers you probably have too.For example, if you are accustomed to smoking a pack of cigarettes a day, chances are you will smoke a pack a day.The only times you may vary from this routine is during an illness or when you are in a situation that does not allow you the freedom of smoking.It is unlikely that if you are going to be a pack a day smoker that one day you will only smoke a couple of cigarettes on accident.A routine is a routine and you have to purposefully change it.

Changing your habits, your routine, is one of the first initial steps to stopping smoking.It may be best to stop smoking slowly.A way to reduce some of the cigarettes out of your normal daily routine would be to not smoke after meals.Brush your teeth as soon as you have finished your meal.Chewing gum after a meal instead of smoking may also help curb the cravings for a cigarette directly after eating.Nicotine gum can also help in these situations.

If you know what triggers your want for a cigarette, plan ahead so you can avoid it if possible or can come up with an alternative plan.For example, if you always want to smoke after work on your way home, you could consider carpooling with a friend that does not allow smoking in the car.Do whatever you can do to break away from your smoking routine.

You must find a way to answer your body's want for the nicotine.This can be accomplished in various ways.You will have to test several options to find the most optimal result.Some find that chewing Nicotine Replacement Therapy gum helps to calm their nicotine fits, others prefer nicotine sticks.The nicotine sticks are another type of Nicotine Replacement Therapy.They are little sticks that mock a real cigarette.You hold this pretend cigarette as you would a real one and gives your hands something to do.

It may take weeks or even months for you to quit smoking.Do not despair because you are not alone in the struggle.Many people claim they had several failed attempts before they considered themselves to be ex-smokers.Depending on how hardcore a smoker you are, it may only take you one try or it may take several.With every attempt, successful or not, you are one step closer to a healthier life.

Generally it will take 2 weeks for you to begin to adapt to a new routine or habit.You must repeat whatever new routine you have chosen in place of cigarettes in order for you to get used to it.Make sure whichever routine you adopt is healthier than smoking because the new routine will be like a new addiction for you.You do not want to replace one unhealthy addiction for another unhealthy addiction.

About the Author

Need some help quitting smoking?

Visit and quit smoking for good.

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• Strong to the Core of Your Being

Strong to the Core of Your Being

If you were to ask me which muscle group in your entire body you could work to get the greatest benefits in the shortest amount of time, I would tell you without hesitation, "the core." Strengthening the core can realize tremendous benefits to anyone regardless of his or her training experience and can do so very quickly.

But what is the core?

The core, as it's known in strength training circles, consists of all the muscles in your abdominal and lower back areas.

This includes all the abdominal muscles (rectus abdominus, internal and external obliques, transverse abdominus and intercostals) as well as the muscles associated with the spine (the erector spinae group) and the hip flexors (iliacus and psoas, collectively known as the iliopsoas).

These muscles all work in harmony to provide stabilization for your body and to transfer power from the legs to the upper body and vice versa.The core muscles also function to keep your insides in, where they belong!

And why is strengthening the core so important?

Weak core muscles contribute to all kinds of problems in the body, the most prevalent of which is lower back pain.By strengthening the muscles that help support the spine and improve posture, you can dramatically decrease the symptoms of lower back pain.

Picture your spine as a column of soda cans stacked one on top of the other.If you wanted to keep that column standing up under stress, what do you think would work better: a "tenser" bandage (as is used for wrapping injured ankles) or Scotch tape?

Sure the tape would keep the cans together but the cans wouldn't receive a whole lot support, would they?

When you strengthen the muscles of the core, you are in effect turning that Scotch tape into a nice, tight "tenser" bandage, increasing the amount of support that your spine gets.

Core training also has the potential to greatly improve sports performance.Watch a baseball pitcher throw a pitch in slow motion.The power of the throw starts at the legs, gets transferred through the abdominal area (a.k.a.the core) then ends up in the arm where the ball is released.

Imagine how much speed and power would be lost from that throw if the core muscles couldn't efficiently transfer the force from the legs to the throwing arm.

The core is the one area of the body that will always give you a great return on your investment.

So how do I train my core muscles?

Exercises that work the abdominals and the lower back are the staples of core training.Also, exercises that target the stabilization and power-transfer duties of the core muscles are very effective.

The most basic abdominal training exercise is the standard crunch.

But I've got an exercise for you that blows the standard crunch right out of the water.The equipment required for this exercise: one rolled-up towel.

The exercise is known as the Abdominal Sit-Up.It uses a sit-up-like movement but focuses directly on the abdominal muscles rather than the hip flexors (which a regular sit-up does).It is also very safe for your lower back.

Another advantage it has over the standard crunch is that it targets the stretched (arched back) range of motion of the abs, which is totally missed in standard floor crunch.

How To Do It:

Lie on your back on the floor.

Roll up a towel or mat and slip it underneath your lower back, just above the waistband (the size of the towel affects your body position during this movement - use a fairly large towel).

Your knees should be bent about 90 degrees.Keep your feet close together and knees fairly wide apart.This prevents the hip flexors from having a direct line of pull, helping to minimize their involvement.

Do not anchor your feet or have someone hold them down.This automatically activates the hip flexors.You will get the most out of this exercise by minimizing their involvement.

The difficulty of this exercise depends on where you hold your hands.The hardest position is above your head at arms-length, then beside your head, then across your chest, then straight down between your legs or at your sides.

Start with the easiest first then progress to the other positions as you get stronger.

You are now ready to begin.

Keeping your torso straight and stiff, start the sit-up by tightening your lower abs then lifting your upper body off the floor.

As you continue up, imagine trying to push your face up against the ceiling (think up, not around).

When you reach about 25 to 30 degrees above horizontal, hold there for a second or two and squeeze your abs hard.

Keep your lower back in contact with the towel at all times and always maintain tension in the abs.

Lower yourself down slowly and under control.Do not just drop back to the ground.The negative portion of this exercise is extremely effective.

Remember to adjust your arm position depending on the strength of your abs (see above).

Incline Ab Sit-Ups

If you are a beginning trainer, this is a good starting variation of the Abdominal Sit-up.

Set an incline sit-up board to a slight incline.If you don't have an incline sit-up board, you can use an adjustable incline bench, a decline bench, a Step platform with a riser under one of the ends or a flat bench with something under one end.You can even use a propped-up 2 x 6 board!

Your head should be on the higher end with your feet placed on the floor.

The execution is exactly the same.The only difference is that the tension on the abs is much less due to the greatly improved leverage in this position, allowing even people feel that their abs aren't strong enough to do the exercise.

Lying Superman Raises - An Exercise For The Lower Back

Though this exercise has a rather unique name, it is an excellent strengthening exercise for the lower back that you can do almost anywhere.

How To Do It:

Lie face down on the floor with your arms stretched out directly overhead (like Superman flying, hence the name).

Raise your left arm and right leg into the air at the same time, also raising your chest slightly off the floor.Hold there for a second and squeeze the muscles of your lower back.Lower your limbs back to the ground then raise your right arm and left leg and hold for a second.

You can push down with the hand that is on the ground to help raise your other arm and chest higher off the ground.

This exercise, even though it only uses your limbs as resistance, provides an excellent way to strengthen the lower back muscles.

Conclusion:

These two exercises will give you a good place to start with core training.

You can begin improving your core strength by doing these exercises 3 times a week for 2 to 3 sets each.

Make core training a priority in your exercise routine and you will rapidly reap the benefits of having a stronger, more injury-proof midsection and back.

About the Author

Nick Nilsson is Vice-President of BetterU, Inc.

and has been inventing new training techniques and exercises for 17+ years.Nick has written many training books including "Muscle Explosion!28 Days To Maximum Mass" "Metabolic Surge - Rapid Fat Loss" - http://www.fitness-ebooks.com

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