Author: Suzannah

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5 ways with LEMONS

5 ways with lemons

With its unmistakable citrus scent, the bright yellow lemon is incredibly versatile. It has long been known for its usefulness as a preservative and flavouring, but it also has tremendous potential in the kitchen, in the garden, as a beauty product, for health benefits, for pet care and as a natural cleaning product. Any part of the lemon can be used; the juice is rich in fruit acids and natural sugars, and it has been used for centuries as a treatment for chills and coughs, and to relieve sunburn and skin rashes.

See below for todays “Top 5 Tips” for use with lemons.

#Tip 1 – Cleaning; Bacteria

Almost all detergents and cleaning materials for general households are costly and filled with chemicals. The humble lemon for many of these toxic household cleaning substances is a natural, organic, environmentally friendly obvious solution. Lemons are an amazingly powerful cleaning tool that can be used in the home for a large array of specific chores. They’re only just a fraction of the price and so much better for your well-being. But they do smell awesome!

When you want to destroy bacteria without cleaning up the contamination left by the majority of cleaning products, why not use a lemon? The acids in lemon juice kill off the bacteria which do not live in an acidic environment for long. Kitchen food preparation surfaces, including chopping boards and sinks, as well as bathroom sinks and surfaces, can be disinfected with lemon juice.  The juice naturally kills the bacteria, and leaves a fresh fragrance.

#Tip 2 – Laundry; Whitening

These can be seen as you walk through the supermarket – stain removers, whiteners for garments, special washing powder or gel tabs for coloured clothes and softeners for fabric.  Was it ironic that while all these can work, the humble lemon is just as successful for most laundry jobs? Thanks to its amazing bleaching properties, lemon juice can eradicate the most stubborn stains including rust and mildew. The advantage is you have nice sweet-smelling clothes and save money on expensive products.

Some washing powders claim they wash whiter. The bleaching effect of lemon juice can really work on keeping your whites white. Add lemon juice to your normal wash cycle. The amount required of juice depends on the volume of laundry that you are washing.  For example; a complete bed set of whites, use the juice of two large lemons. But, for a small load, like 1 or two t-shirts, then ½ a lemon will suffice.

#Tip 3 – In the Garden; Repelling Garden Weeds

Ant Sprays, mothballs, insecticides, weed killers–should we have an infestation, there is an endless range of chemicals we might run to. But there’s still no need to go to the cost of purchasing these repellents individually.

Lemon is particularly effective at killing garden weeds. This doesn’t mean you can rid your entire garden of them, but lemon juice doused along cracks in pathways and patios will work.

#Tip 4 – Pet Care; for dogs

Lemon is really helpful in having a dog’s coat conditioned and keeping your pet free of flea. Add lemon slices to 1⁄2 litre of boiling water and allow to mix to cool by making it stand overnight. Strain the mixture and pour into a spray bottle. Using this mixture you can spray the animal liberally without it having any adverse effects, taking care to avoid their eyes. The limonene in the lemon conditions the dog’s coat, and it is also an effective flying insect repellent.  Additionally, this spray is very good at keeping animal fleas away. Such tiny unwanted creatures have waxy coating. When the liquid is sprayed onto the animal’s fur, it disables the flea from feeding.

#Tip 5 – Personal Care – Cellulite

Lemons are antifungal, antiviral, antioxidant, anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory and antihistamine.  They are also diuretics, detoxifiers and tonics. 

Lemon juice is ideal for a wide range of skin issues. Cellulite is a dimpling of the skin where there is excess tissue fluid.  Massage lemon oil onto the affected area.  Since lemons are rich in Vitamin C and also act as a diuretic, you can either make sure that you include lemon juice and zest in your regular daily diet, or add two drops of lemon oil to your bath water and rub the dimpled skin region with a loofah.  In this way, the use of lemon juice would reduce the excess tissue fluid and thus cellulite signs.

We hope that you enjoyed todays “5 Tips with Lemons”. Stay tuned for more coming very soon!

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6 Ways Fad Diets Can Harm You!

Real Ways Fad Diets Can Harm You

Fad diets are weight loss schemes that promise quick fixes, often involving very strict and extreme eating plans, or very low caloric intake. Unfortunately, these diets do not provide long-term benefits. If anything, they can cause serious health problems.

They Make You Gain Even More Weight

What usually makes fad diets very tempting are the promises of quick weight loss with little effort on the part of the participant. Sure, everyone would love to lose weight in the soonest possible time, with minimal effort and that is always the hook.

Unfortunately, the truth is that yes you can lose weight with fad diets but often it is mostly water weight. Also, fad diets are very hard to stick with, and so while you may lose an initial few pounds, once you resume your normal diet (and everyone always does), you will gain all the weight back, and more often than not, you gain more! This is called rebound weight gain.

Fad diets never implement or address the permanent lifestyle changes required for lasting healthy weight management.

1.They Can Lead to Nutritional Deficits

Most fad diets restrict your options to specific types of food, thereby eliminating important nutrients the body needs. When you’re limited to a specific type of group, you sacrifice the nutrients that you would otherwise obtain if you were eating a healthy and well-balanced diet.

Carbohydrates are oftentimes considered a no-no in many of these diets, but in reality, restricting carbohydrates can significantly hurt your energy levels, making you feel fatigued. You will not have the necessary fuel to energize your workouts and function effectively on a day-to-day basis.

In reality, complex carbohydrates, like whole grains actually support healthy weight loss because they contain high amounts of fiber that keeps you full longer and prevents sugar spikes in the blood that keeps out of control cravings at bay.

The same misconception goes for fat. Many fad diets attempt to turn fat into a mortal enemy, when in reality, not all fats are bad. In fact, certain types of fats such as omega-3 are necessary for optimum health and monosaturated fats are required for brain and heart health.

2.Muscle Wasting and Hair Loss

Fad diets can lead to hair and muscle loss because they are nutrient deficient. For one, protein is a nutrient that you need if you want your hair to be and grow healthy. Not having enough may cause hair fall and brittleness.

Muscle loss is another common problem. Because of the caloric deficits associated with fad diets, the body naturally turns to other means to get that required energy, and as a result, muscle wasting occurs. You do not want to lose your muscle if you are planning to lose weight, because having more muscle mass can help you burn more calories by boosting metabolism even when the body is at rest.

3.They Ruin Your Body’s Natural Metabolism

Fad diets often dictate you how much to eat and when to eat, which goes against your body’s natural eating pattern. Our bodies are aware when we need to eat and when we have had enough. While fad diets may give you temporary results, there are long-term implications that can affect your health permanently.

Mindfulness is a technique taught in meditation and yoga, and can help you to get in touch with your body and real hunger, and this is a much more effective and healthy way to lose weight.

4.They Often Lack The Element of Exercise

Most fad diets are too focused on the food intake itself, and neglect the importance of exercise. Since they often advise the intake of very low amounts of calories, exercise is often not recommended, if not restricted. This can be detrimental to your overall health.

5.They Are Not Sustainable

Fad diets are just that – fads. They are not meant to last on a permanent basis. These types of diets promote rapid weight loss in an unreasonable amount of time, rather than a healthy lifestyle that is sustainable for the long term. They never address lifestyle changes, such as choosing an apple for dessert over apple pie and changing your taste accordingly.

Many people can attest that they have lost over 100 pounds over a lifetime in 10-pound spurts. Lose it, and gain it back, lose it, and gain it back, repeatedly in a vicious yo-yo cycle. Usually at the center of this merry-go-round is a fad diet turning the wheel.

6. How To Spot A Fad Diet

  • Quick fix promises
  • Involvement of “magic foods” or special food combinations
  • Exclusion of a particular food group, for example, carbohydrates
  • Unproven claims that are based on limited scientific study
  • The suggestion that certain food combinations can alter one’s body chemistry

A Better Way

Instead of going for fad diets, the best way to lose weight is a gradual transition to a healthy lifestyle. By combining regular exercise with a healthy balanced diet, you are sure to achieve your weight goals and be able to keep it off for the long term.

Small Changes

Start by making small changes with the foods you choose. Replace three desserts a week with a piece of fresh fruit. Substitute French fries with a side salad or steamed vegetables at lunch two times per week. Then increase it to three times, and so on.

Assess your kitchen and begin to gradually remove all unhealthy snacks and foods from the fridge and cupboard. If you don’t know what is healthy and what isn’t, find out. Replace all that you have removed with better choices.

Exercise

Begin an exercise regimen by taking a two mile walk every day, then keep adding a mile every two or three days, you cannot imagine how fast you become acclimated and fit and with gradual increases you will be walking  miles before you know it, without even noticing how you got there!

Do some type of strength training be it with weights or bodyweight exercises three times per week. Building lean muscle mass will boost your metabolism and make you stronger and healthier, which will improve your overall quality of life.

It Works!

It is not difficult to implement small changes that together make for a big difference in your weight, health and how you feel. The best part is that you will NEVER have to go on another diet, fad or otherwise again.

 

Regards

 

Suzannah