plant power

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Keep hydrated (and stay cool) with water-rich foods

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Keep hydrated (and stay cool) with water-rich foods

A look at some of the most water-rich foods that you can eat to keep hydrated and stay cool with this summer

Embracing the heat with a cool, hydrated body

Regardless of whether you're using Celsius or Fahrenheit measurements, one thing is for sure, the heat index temperatures are rising steadily for the months of the summer season and the weather forecast is not showing any sign of things getting cooler any time soon.  Nonetheless, there's not a need to ring the alarm or create a fire drill for because we can all take natural efforts to better keep (calm and) hydrated and stay cool this summer.  In addition to drinking an ample amount of water to fully nourish and hydrate your body on a daily basis, you can also eat specific foods that will help to keep your body cool during times of high heat temperatures.  At the top of the list of the most recommended cooling foods to eat in summer to keep your body cool are what we commonly refer to as water rich foods (and/or foods that are rich and otherwise high in water content). Adding some water-rich foods to your daily diet, especially during the hotter seasons, will work wonders for your body (and mind) by keeping you naturally cool and adequately hydrated, too.  See some of the most popular cooling foods listed below that you can begin to supplement in to your diet every day for their maximum hydrating and cooling powers.

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This smoothie list is bananas, B•A•N•A•N•A•S !! 🍌 🍌🍌

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This smoothie list is bananas, B•A•N•A•N•A•S !! 🍌 🍌🍌

Featuring 10 banana based smoothie recipes hand-picked from the Green Blenders' compilation of 73 banana-friendly smoothies

Bananas are nutrition powerhouses

In addition to providing for the perfect texture of any smoothie and supporting those of us on set diets to either lose weight or gain weight, bananas are an excellent source of numerous amounts of healing nutrients like minerals (such as potassium, copper, selenium, magnesium, molybdenum and boron), vitamins, amino acids, antioxidants and other phytonutrients.  Bananas are also full of fiber, water and pulp, too, aiding us in suppressing and satisfying our appetites.  And, as Anthony William of Medical Medium alludes to in his book Life-Changing Foods, bananas are one of Nature's gifts for our digestive system, even known to reverse bodily conditions like IBS, Crohn's Disease and Colitis.  Whether eaten raw from the peel, blended up in a smoothie, chopped with your kale or what-have-you, enjoy your bananas and the healing powers they pass along with their pleasurably unique taste and conveniently soothing digestive benefits.

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Pears, like apples, are also great for losing weight

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Pears, like apples, are also great for losing weight

Full of flavor and packed with phytochemicals, trace minerals and amino acids, pears are one of the world's healthiest foods that you can eat for weight loss

Pears suppress our appetite and prevent overeating

A close kin to the apple, pears are another must-have food to include in your diet.  Pears are known to be high in dietary fiber, offering us that feeling of being full and satisfied with hunger levels to the point that we don't overeat during meals or in between meals either (similar to eating bananas for losing weight).  The sweet flavor that a pear brings satisfies our hunger (and/or suppresses our appetite) and their electrolyte makeup serves to stabilize our blood sugar, giving us natural boosts in energy without the crash afterward.

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Yellow watermelon fruit bowl

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Yellow watermelon fruit bowl

Fruit bowl made out of watermelon shell and filled with organic yellow watermelon pieces

The Basics

  • Prep time 5 minutes 
  • Servings 3-4

Ingredients

1 whole yellow watermelon (organic if available)

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Mashed pOpaya!

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Mashed pOpaya!

Organic papaya cut, sliced, scooped then mashed and sprinkled with a few papaya seeds on top

The Basics

  • Prep time 2 minutes 
  • Mash Time 2 minutes 
  • Servings 2-3

Ingredients

1 whole papaya (organic if available)

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Curbing your appetite (and losing weight) with cranberries 

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Curbing your appetite (and losing weight) with cranberries 

Reach for the cranberry to help you lose weight while you naturally suppress your appetite

First things first: If it ain't working, fix it!

Whether the summer months are on the distant horizon or not, we're talking weight loss and health goals big time these days.  With an estimated 1-in-3 Americans now considered medically obese, the world is clearly in need of some proper education about healthy eating habits and lifestyle practices in general. The diet pills, fad diets and bogus workout plans are evidently still not working (nor will they ever work as is).  This is a call to consciousness, if you are tired of being overweight and are ready to make a true change in your lifestyle, you and only you can take the first step!

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The ABC's for losing weight

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The ABC's for losing weight

Never mind the diet pills, look to your local fruit stand for 3 common foods that can help you to naturally lose weight

Whether you're looking to lose weight for summer; get fit to look as perfect as can be in to your bride's dress (and even groom's suit) for the upcoming wedding; or you just want to enhance your overall health by shedding some excess weight from your body, you can lose weight naturally by including some essential foods like apples, bananas and cherries in your diet.  And, you won't have to break your bank or look too hard as apples, bananas and cherries are rather inexpensive to buy and all three can usually be found year round at your nearby grocery store, local farmer's market or street-side fruit stand.

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An apple a day keeps the (bariatrics) doctor away

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An apple a day keeps the (bariatrics) doctor away

Examining the anti-obesity and digestive health benefits of apples for weight loss

Whether you're familiar with the old English proverb or not, an apple a day can and does actually help to keep us out of various types of doctor's offices, perhaps most notably, the bariatrics doctor's office.  Research and clinical studies show supporting evidence of apples (red apples specifically) as being effective in preventing, treating and reversing obesity with the help of water-soluble, vacuolar pigments known as anthocyanins (*as well as hints of another phyotchemical, malvidin, a type of anthocyanidin).

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How Not To Die, a must read how-to for staying alive (and well)

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How Not To Die, a must read how-to for staying alive (and well)

How Not To Die, the master plan prescription that navigates you to a longer, healthier life free of illness, disease and extravagant medical bills

How Not To Die: Detail & Review

How Not to Die: Discover the Foods Scientifically Proven to Prevent and Reverse Disease is one of my recent (self) health and wellness book favorites!  With Dr. Greger, M.D. safely guiding you past some of the leading causes of death in America, those who take heed can steer clear of heart disease, cancers, diabetes, high blood pressure, Parkinson’s and many more deadly tolls that have been taking lives annually.  How Not To Die is literally a must read for anyone looking to stay alive and well for as long as humanly possible.  Avoid illness and disease and save money on medical bills with the help of Dr. Greger's book, How Not To Die, full of research and nutritional facts designed to show you the way to the good (i.e. healthy) life.  Similar to The China Study, this is another book that just may save your life.  Literally.

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Keep calm and stay cool this summer

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Keep calm and stay cool this summer

30 Plant-based foods that you can eat to keep your cool and stay comfy in the summer heat

Cooling foods

Whether you're feeling beach body ready yet or not, the summer like temperatures are beginning to increase for us with record high heat waves on the horizon the coming season.  This summer, you can work to naturally keep your body temperatures as cool as humanly possibly by eating foods that are known to cool the body by hydrating it and flushing heat and toxins from it.  Some of Mother Nature's most popularly known cooling foods are fruits and vegetables but, there are also some good legumes and whole grains that are known to cool the body down, too.

Live meal sharing and food insights