Five Suprising Benefits of Folic Acid

Folic acid is widely known to help prevent birth defects, but it’s not just for pregnant women. Folic Acid, also known as folate or Vitamin B9, has multiple health benefits for women and men of all ages. Folic Acid is found in foods such as leafy greens, pastas, beans and more. According to Men’s Fitness, folic acid helps the body break down, create and use new proteins as well as form new blood cells and create new DNA.

Studies have shown that folic acid may help prevent heart disease, depression, prevent Alzheimer’s disease, type-2 diabetes, and even some forms of cancer.

Heart Health:

How does Folic Acid protect my heart? Folic acid pairs with Vitamin B12 as a coenzyme to help metabolism the amino acids methonine and homocysteine. Without folic acid, homocysteine levels can cause blood to clot more easily than normal and cause cardiovascular disease and heart attacks. Studies have shown folic acid may lower homocysteine levels.

Natural Depression Remedy:

Folic acid supplements have been used to help treat depression and enhance antidepressant drugs. Studies have shown that people who are deficient in folic acid have less response to antidepressant medication. Folic acid is also believed to play a part in mood regulation.

Alzheimer’s Disease:

A recent study of 579 men and women ages 60 and up has shown that folic acid may help ward off Alzheimer’s disease. The study found that participants who regularly consumed the recommended daily allowance of folic acid (400 mcg) through both food and supplements cut their risk of developing Alzheimer’s in half. Folic Acid also may play a key role in preventing overall memory loss associated with old age.

Diabetes Prevention:

Folic Acid may help with the breakdown of triglycerides. Triglycerides are a type of fat found in the blood that are used for energy. Type-2 diabetes is linked to high levels of triglycerides in the blood. A study by the European Journal of Endocrinology also found when looking at four different groups of women from different geographical locations, those with a BMI of 30 and above also had low levels of folic acid.

Cancer Benefits:

According to The American Cancer Society, low levels of folic acid in the blood have been linked with higher rates of colorectal cancer and some other types of cancer. A large study from 1980 to 1994 found that the women who took more than 400 mcg of folic acid per day were less likely to get colon cancer than those with those who took less than 200 mcg.

Folic acid is necessary to make and repair DNA when creating new cells. Scientists believe that low levels of folic acid may lead to changes in chemicals that affect DNA. This may alter how well cells can repair themselves or divide properly, which may lead to cancer.

Healthy To Go’s Smoothie Complete offers a unique way to get folic acid. Instead of a pill, Smoothie Complete offers an all in one way to get 21 vitamins and minerals, including 400 mcg (100% of your daily value) per scoop.

BEST TIME SEX GET PREGNANT

When's the best time to have sex to conceive?

The most effective time to have sex is during your fertile window, which can last up to six days every month. These six days are the five days leading up to, and the day of, ovulation, when your body releases an egg.



 Your egg will survive for about a day once released. But sperm can survive for up to a week. Hence there is a six-day window for sperm to meet an egg.


 You are most likely to conceive if you have sex one or two days before you ovulate. However, it's tricky to pinpoint the exact day or two just before ovulation. So if you don't want your sex life to be ruled by the calendar, your best bet is simply to enjoy sex every two or three days.

 If you want to be more precise, though, you will need to work out when you will ovulate. When you'll ovulate in any given cycle depends on:
the length of your menstrual cycle
how regular your periods are



 A  menstrual cycle can be as short as 22 days or as long as 36 days. On average, a woman gets her period between 12 days and 14 days after she's ovulated.

 If you have a 28-day menstrual cycle, you're likely to ovulate around the middle of your cycle. If you have a short cycle, you could ovulate within days of your period ending. A long cycle could mean that you won't ovulate until two weeks after your period has ended.

 Nearly half of women have a cycle length that varies by more than seven days. If your menstrual cycle is different from one month to the next, your fertile window may also vary by about a week between each period.



 That's why it's best to have sex every two to three days throughout your cycle. It's more effective than focusing your efforts only on the days you think you're about to ovulate. Also, sex every two to three days improves the quality of sperm  compared to daily sex.
How do I know when I'm about to ovulate?
You may be very aware of when you ovulate, or you may not notice any changes at all. If you're thinking about getting pregnant, get in touch with your body. Signs that you are approaching ovulation can start around three weeks before you expect your next period. Try looking out for:


Increased vaginal discharge that's wetter, and like stretchy egg white. This is called fertile mucus.
Slight discomfort on one side of your belly (mittelschmerz).
Feeling more sexy.

 One of the simplest ways of working out your fertile days is to check your cervical mucus every day. Changes to your mucus are one of the easiest things for you to spot.



 To find out more about your fertile window, try our ovulation calculator. And read our article for helpful tips for spotting other signs of ovulation.
Do irregular periods make it harder to get pregnant?
Irregular periods do not necessarily mean that you are less fertile than women with regular periods. However, if your periods are irregular or are more than 36 days apart, it is worth seeing your GP.



 Sometimes, irregular cycles are caused by conditions such as polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) or a thyroid disorder. These conditions could affect your chances of conceiving, so it is better to get help sooner rather than later.


 The more irregular your periods are, the more difficult it can be to work out when you're fertile. So practise looking for changes in fertile mucus by checking daily. Try to have sex when you notice two or more days of wet, slippery mucus. Or you may find it easier to just have regular sex throughout your cycle.


Best Time To Get Pregnant Faster




The best time to get pregnant fast is to have sex or sexual intercourse once a day every day during the 4-5 days before and on the day of ovulation.

There is no single "best day" or best time to get pregnant and to make love if you want to improve your chances of getting pregnant. Studies have shown repeatedly that you can improve your chances of getting pregnant by:
Have sex every day once if his sperm count is fine
Have sex frequently during your fertile day (four days are better than one day)
Have sex  once daily, during the two days prior to the day of ovulation and on the day of ovulation

Calculate the best time to get pregnant and your fertile days HERE

Making love the day after ovulation won't get you pregnant.

To improve your chances of getting pregnant, you need to have sex regularly throughout the menstrual cycle and especially during your fertile days. That requires that you first find out how to calculate your fertile days.

While there is no definitive proof that you always improve your chances of getting pregnant by timing sexual intercourse, it can help if you calculate ovulation and your fertile days by using our fertility calendar, doing BBT fertility charting, and using OPKs, or fertility monitors.

Studies have shown that in women with regular cycles, ovulation can happen on many days of the menstrual cycle and there could be many days not just a single best time to get pregnant. Even in women with a regular cycle, there is a 10% chance of ovulating each day after the menstrual period ends.

Because having sex after ovulation won't get you pregnant, it's generally suggested to have sex regularly two to three times a week, every week. That is your best time to get pregnant to improve your chances of getting pregnant.

In addition, you may still want to make love daily during the four to five "fertile" days prior to and during ovulation (if his sperm count is OK). But if that's all you do, then it won't probably increase your pregnancy chances.

Best Tips To Ensure Pregnancy Health Both For The Mom And The Baby

Finally, a positive pregnancy test to show that pregnant! tests and battery that you are pregnant, a fact confirmed, gyne - OB doctor is missing.

Pregnancy can be fun to bring the family. However, at the same time, it is possible for women and children, as well as health risks to be necessary. Pregnancy, especially in pregnant women who work hard, even if it is often the life of women is one of the most unforeseen events. This means that there should be a healthy pregnant woman, as well as a special reserve to be necessary.

These are pregnant women, the health of your child's head is used to ensure that manner.

Eat, or even to imagine.

In this case, two lunches during pregnancy, it is not true. sufficient amount of food people eat, but not great courses. According to the study, pregnant women, only 200-300 calories a day. And know you can add it to food calories. Life eating healthy, young, my mother and my mother only inside. Of course, the more calories from snacks.

Additional medical treatment.

Folic acid pregnant mothers, as well as with vitamins and early pregnancy, before pregnancy, the better. What is folic acid? It is, at first in neural tube defects during pregnancy and the risk of children born before the start of a decrease of 400 micrograms in leafy green vegies is always the day, and this is not all that micro-minerals are potentially .

Rzylt forward.

It will last awefully heavy tobacco and alcohol is often cheaper. Re-think his actions through. Can nicotine and alcohol, cigarettes, alcohol, damage to the developing baby. The average cigarette consumption in low birth weight and birth mother, usually children, die-non smokers die before the syndrome are born to parents on children. More caffeine, a substance necessary. Fraps children Espresso is to cook the CI - CI -.

schmasions the above.

Even before the pregnancy, antenatal care is loss. Be sure to know that pregnancy can influence the disease progressed. Rubella or German Measles, and pregnant women as a disease of the samples have to be careful. It can occur during pregnancy may help prepare for any information on blood diseases.

What did you and your children.

Work best for pregnant women and children to help on the right side. However, there are certain conditions, pregnant women, OB gyne prior approval is required for any sport you can do. can be done during pregnancy, which help improve the capacity of muscle is one of the forms. A lot of stretching can help. However, all these efforts, but it was enough to be careful.

Indeed, but it's not a woman who wants a normal pregnancy and healthy life is only to be moved.

Health Benefits Of Kumquats

A small round to oval citrus fruit, the kumquat resembles a tiny orange. The kumquat grows on trees that originated in China. It can be found in California, Florida, the Mediterranean countries, China, Japan, Indochina, Indonesia, Israel, Peru, and Brazil.

Varieties

Kumquat hybrids, when crossed with other citrus fruits, include the limequat, lemonquat, orangequat, and the calamondin (a cross with the mandarin orange).

Buying and storing tips

Kumquats are occasionally sold with a decorative stem and leaves attached. Avoid fruits with damaged skin and those that feel soft.

Availability

The peak season for kumquats is November through February.

Preparation, Uses, and Tips

In this fruit, the rind is edible, tender, and sweet, while the flesh can be dry and very tart, compared with oranges. Kumquats are usually eaten raw, as whole fruit, excluding the seeds. They make a striking garnish, especially when used with the leaves still attached. As with other citrus fruit, kumquats can be candied, marinated, prepared as marmalade, added to fruit salad, poached, or preserved whole.

Nutritional Highlights

• Kumquat (raw), 1 fruit (19g)
• Calories: 12
• Protein: 0.17g
• Carbohydrate: 3.1g
• Total Fat: 0.02g
• Fiber: 1.25g
• *Good source of: Vitamin C (7.1mg)

*Foods that are an “excellent source” of a particular nutrient provide 20% or more of the Recommended Daily Value. Foods that are a “good source” of a particular nutrient provide between 10 and 20% of the Recommended Daily Value.

Health benefits and concerns

Allergies and sensitivities (food and chemical)

A low-allergen diet, also known as an elimination diet, is often recommended to people with suspected food allergies in order to find out if avoiding common allergen foods gives relief from symptoms. This diet eliminates foods and food additives considered to be common allergens, including citrus fruits. Some popular books offer guidance to people who want to attempt this type of diet. Most elimination diets are quite restrictive and increase the likelihood of nutritional deficiencies. A successful elimination diet is usually followed by reintroduction of eliminated foods one at a time, to see which ones are truly allergens for the individual person and therefore need to be eliminated indefinitely. Strict avoidance of allergenic foods for a period of time (usually months or years) sometimes results in the foods no longer causing allergic reactions. Restrictive elimination diets and food reintroduction should be supervised by a qualified healthcare professional.

Hives

Allergy to foods and food additives is a common cause of hives, especially in chronic cases. Citrus fruits are among those foods most commonly reported to trigger hives. Numerous clinical studies demonstrate that diets that are free of foods that commonly trigger allergic reactions typically produce significant reductions in symptoms in 50–75% of people with chronic hives. People with hives should investigate the possibility that food allergies are causing their problem by consulting with a doctor.

Kidney stones

Citric acid is found in citrus fruits and may protect against kidney stone formation. Lemons are the best food source commonly available. One preliminary trial found that drinking 2 liters (approximately 2 quarts) of lemonade per day improved the quality of the urine in ways that are associated with stone prevention. Lemonade was far more effective than orange juice. The lemonade was made by mixing 4 oz lemon juice with enough water to make 2 liters. The smallest amount of sweetener possible should be added to make the taste acceptable. Further study is necessary, however, to determine if lemonade can prevent recurrence of kidney stones

JOINTFIR OR MORMON TEA PLANT: PROBABLY DOES NOT CONTAIN EPHEDRINE: HEALTH BENEFITS OF MORMON'S TEA

MORMON TEA PLANT, JOINTFIR, EPHEDRA NEVADENSIS 

The evergreen shrub known as Jointfir, or Mormon Tea plant is native to the south-western US. As the Mormons are not allowed to drink coffee because it is a stimulant (containing, as it does, caffeine) the twigs of this plant are used to make a tisane or tea, hence the name. The plant does not have leaves as such but has spiky green twigs, which resemble a fir tree’s needles (for example those of the European silver fir).

  The flowers are reminiscent of those of the Greek mountain tea plant, and these bloom in April through to the end of June. The fruit is a smooth brown nutlet which can be cooked although it tastes bitter, and it may be roasted and ground to make flour for using in making bread.

  This plant is in the Ephedraceae family, making it a close relative of the Sea grape,Ephedra distachya. Because it is in the Ephedra genus, it was supposed that it has the same properties as other plants in that genus; but it seems that this is not the case. This plant contains no, or very few, Ephedra alkaloids, according to the European Food Standards Agency’s (EFSA) report of 2009. That being the case, most of what has been written about the plants’ psychoactive properties online is probably not true.

  Mormon tea is made by taking the twigs of the plant and infusing them to make a tea or tisane. Both the fresh and dried twigs can be used, and for drying purposes the green twigs can be harvested at any time of the year.

  Traditionally the tea was made by Native Americans who used it medicinally as a blood purifier, diuretic and to lower the temperature of the body during fevers. It was also used as a general tonic and for kidney, urinary-genital problems and STDs.

  The plant does not contain ephedrine, or at least, not much, so all the literature regarding this compound does not apply to this particular member of the Ephedra genus.            

  The fruit from the plant can be eaten raw, although it is a little bland, but sweet, and the twigs can be chewed to treat the symptoms of asthma, but not the root cause. It makes respiratory problems easier, but does not cure them.

  There are rarely any side effects if you drink Mormon tea in moderation, although you may experience some if it is drunk to excess.

  The plant does contain the compounds, kynusenates, which have antimicrobial properties, and it is a very effective diuretic and because of this property, it can contribute to weight loss.

12 Health Benefits of Lemons and Limes That You Probably Haven’t Heard of Yet

Lemons and limes belong to the citrus fruit family, known for their high levels of vitamin C content and other essential minerals. Regardless of their acidity and sour taste, these fruits do not acidify the human body but on the contrary, their consumption has an alkaline effect upon it. Citrus fruits’ rinds contain limonene, a compound known to be anti-carcinogenic and liver healthy. It is also used to promote weight loss and treat bronchitis.

Lemon and Lime’s Nutritional Benefits

These citrus fruits are rich in folate, potassium, vitamin C, B6, flavonoids, phytochemicals and limonene. D-Limonene is a compound known to be anti-carcinogenic and to help promote the production of those particular enzymes that have the ability to detoxify carcinogens.

Health Benefits

Lemons and limes contain excellent anticancer and antioxidant properties. In addition, they also contain a high content of antibiotics that are capable of combating against the bacteria present in the body. The following are just a few of lemon and lime’s numerous health benefits:

1. Lemon and lime help you combat common cold:

Combine the juice of two lemons or limes with half a liter of warm water. Add raw honey to taste and consume before you go to bed at night. The anti-viral properties found in lemons and limes will help you to effectively fight against common cold symptoms as well as boost your body’s immune response to fight off the infection.

2. Improve digestion:

The consumption of both lemons and limes can help you relieve indigestion, bloating and foul burping.

3. Relieve constipation:

Relieve your constipation problems by consuming a mix of lime or lemon, a glass of warm water and a small amount of raw honey to add a better taste to this healthy drink. Consume this drink before breakfast, on an empty stomach, to get an instant relief from constipation. Besides constipation relief, your body will also receive an excellent detox.

4. Reduce frequency of heartburn:

Reduce frequent heartburns by consuming a mixture of 2 teaspoons of either fresh lemon or lime juice and a glass of warm water.

5. Combat inflammatory disorders:

Both lemon and lime juice are highly effective in the combat against inflammatory disorders like arthritis, sciatica and rheumatism among others. The consumption of these juices is also associated with a reduced risk of gout, due to lemon and lime’s ability to inhibit the uric acid buildup in the body’s tissues.

6. Treat asthma:

If you have asthma, you can relieve its symptoms by taking a tablespoon of lemon juice an hour before each meal.

7. Reduce swollen gums:

To relieve swollen gums, combine some freshly-squeezed lime juice (diluted) with a pinch of sea salt and consume the resulting mixture. Another thing you can try to relieve this issue is to rub a piece of the albedo of a lime or a lemon (the white flesh under the peel) on your gums. Thus you will reduce their swelling.

8. Relieve sore throat:

Prepare a mixture of warm water and lemon juice (ration 1:1) and gargle with it to obtain an instant relief.

9. Relieve burning heels and soles:

Take a slice of lemon or lime and rub it onto the affected area (sole, feet, heel) to relieve the pain or burning sensation. By doing this, you will also encourage the process of toxin elimination from the pores of your feet.

10. Nourish skin:

Lime and lemon peel help to moisture skin. Therefore, by rubbing dry or scaly skin with a piece of lemon or lime peel, you will provide it with its much needed moisture and it will become soft and supple like never before.

11. Relax your body and help you fall asleep fast:

Soak your feet in a solution of lemon or lime and warm water. Its fresh smell and its cooling and astringent effects will provide you with instant relaxation, making you fall asleep right away.

12. Relieve cholera:

The regular consumption of a cup of lemon or lime juice will help you destroy the cholera bacilli virus. Drink the same amount of water as well. Lemon and lime’s anti-viral properties are highly effective when it comes to this virus and will help you eliminate it within a short period of time.

Extra Juicing Tips

To get the most of your lemon or lime juice, you should include the entire fruit together with its peel. We all know that the peel is the part where harmful ingredients are usually contained, so prior to juicing you should make sure that the fruit is properly washed. Also, try buying 100% organic fruits in order to avoid the consumption of pesticides and GMO lemons and limes.

Using the whole fruit when preparing your juice will surely provide you with all the health benefits the fruit has to offer. The compound we’ve mentioned above, known as limonene, is very high in the white part of the fruit, just under the peel, so by juicing the entire fruit you will get the most of it.

In addition, you can use lemon and lime juice to make ice cubes and add them to other drinks as well. The ice cubes prepared like this can stay refrigerated up to two weeks and after that period they will start losing their taste and potential benefits.

A useful tip when buying lemons, is to look at their stem ends. The number of lines radiating from the stem shows you how high is their mineral content. The greater this number is, the higher their mineral content.

Caution:

You should always consume lemon or lime juice in moderation.

If you notice any allergic reactions to some of these fruits, stop consuming them immediately and consult your healthcare provider.