Water – Our Liquid Friend

Water is important to any survival situation. We need it in our daily lives and even more so in a disaster scenario. Please enjoy this collection of infographics that highlight all of the wonderful benefits that our liquid friend provides us.

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What Happens To Your Body When You Quit Sugar?

In a survival situation, sugar will be a rare commodity, even a form of money or barter item. Knowing this, you can stock up or even better reduce your dependence on it now.

We know that not all sugars are bad for our bodies. Sugars in fruits for example are great for our bodies! The problem lies within the added excess amounts of processed sugars that have been sneaked and forced into our diets… There are so many natural sugars that are found in raw foods that there is no need to be adding extra processed ones!

 

Unfortunately, most of us have developed a “need” for sugar due to our awful eating habits and desire for “junk foods”. Trust me, the benefits of quitting sugar outweigh the side effects of bad eating habits by far! Once you stop eating sugars that have been processed and stick to sugars in its raw form you will notice that the following things will occur.

YOUR SKIN WILL GLOW

Acne continuously comes and goes. It can be so annoying and frustrating. No matter how many creams, toners, cleansers we may try, the pimples always come back someway, somehow. It is actually our diets that are responsible for the occasional outbreaks. The sugars are breaking through from the inside out. Literally! Once you eliminate the excess sugars from your foods, you will notice your skin will look and feel fabulous!

YOU WILL EVENTUALLY NO LONGER CRAVE SUGAR

As you begin to ditch the sugary stuff from your diet, you will eventually lose the desire to eat them too! The fruits you consume will be more than enough! You may even notice that the treats you once loved like cake and such will become way too sweet for your taste buds and that you may not enjoy them as much as you once did.

YOUR BODY’S FUNCTIONS WILL BECOME MORE EFFICIENT

Your body want lots and lots of fiber and little to no “hard to digest” foods. By removing sugary products from your diet, you are giving your tummy a break as well as time to reset its functions. You will probably end up going to the bathroom a lot more too. This is a good thing by the way! Everything will become more regular and routinely, as things will begin to move smoother.

YOUR ENERGY LEVELS WILL INCREASE

Most of us tend to reach for caffeine, energy drinks, sugary snacks and juices in order to get that extra energy boost throughout the day. This is such a misconception. You only think that you need these. In reality, your body will actually produce energy naturally and more of it without the added sugars. Processed sugars block the body’s ability to keep energy stores at maximum levels. So, what you may call a “pick-me-up” could actually be what is bringing you down… Once you give up this habit, you will notice that you will no longer experience energy level spikes and that the regular mid-afternoon blahs will no longer be a thing.

YOUR WEIGHT WILL BECOME STABLE

When you eat sugars, your body tends to crave even more sugars; whether they are raw or not. Refined sugars tend to be very common in high fat and high carb foods and well, we all know that these kinds of foods are usually processed and packed with chemical ingredients that could be harmful to your health – but sadly, we eat them anyways because they taste good… By eliminating these kinds of foods, your body will not have to deal with all the extra calories anymore. And well, since your body will no longer “want” these kinds of foods, you will most likely eat less resulting in weight loss or no weight gain. There are only good things that can happen by giving up sugar. Do your body a favour and get rid of it. Sugar is a want, not a need.

ARE YOU GOING TO QUIT EATING SUGAR?

Source: Articles | LOWFATLOWCARB.COM

Water: Nature’s Cure-All?

Water: Nature's Cure All?

Water: Nature’s Cure-All?

Aside from quenching your thirst, drinking the right amount of water can benefit your overall health in countless other ways. From aiding weight loss to boosting productivity, let’s look at how water can improve your health.

We Are Water

… well, we’re mostly water.

60%

Proportion of water in adult human body (1)

How much water is in … (2, 3)

Blood: 92%

Brain: 73%

Heart: 73%

Lungs: 83%

Skin: 64%

Muscles: 79%

Kidneys: 79%

Bones: 31%

Nature’s Wonder Drug

Water’s basic functions include regulating body temperature, flushing waste and moving nutrients through our cells. But what can that mean for some of the most important illnesses and health issues? (4, 5, 6)

Aids digestion

60 million

Americans affected by digestive disorders (7)

Improves circulation

Helps create saliva

Reducing appetite

$60 billion

Annual U.S. consumer spending on weight loss efforts (8)

Providing fuel for muscles

Moisturizing skin

Clears skin of toxins

Facilitating kidney function

1 in 10

U.S. adults with some form of chronic kidney disease (9)

Boosts productivity and ramps up brain power

Preventing muscle cramps and strains

Prevents tiredness

30%

Adults who get less than 6 hours of sleep on the average night (9)

Relieving minor illnesses

Drinking It In

About 20% of our water intake comes from foods like fruits and vegetables. That means the rest comes from the beverages we drink. (4)

Good news, then, that water is the most popular beverage in the U.S., recently eclipsing soda for the top spot.

Average annual consumption in gallons (10)

Soda: 44

Water: 58
It’s not all plain water, though. Many Americans are getting their fill of water thanks in part to the myriad “flavored” waters on the market.

People who reported drinking any flavored water in the past week, in millions (11)

Spring 2010: 8.92

Autumn 2010: 8.57

Spring 2011: 8.69

Autumn 2011: 8.13

Spring 2012: 7.68

Autumn 2012: 8.07

Spring 2013: 8.96

1 in 5

U.S. households that buy bottled water and liquid flavor enhancers (12)

These enhancers often contain additives like salt, dyes and other chemicals. A better option is going natural. Don’t like the taste of water? Consider adding: (13, 14)

A few chunks of frozen fruit

Mint ice cubes

A slice of citrus

Mashed berries

Unsweetened fruit juice

Sliced cucumber

Source: Master-of-Health-Administration.com

Water: Nature's Cure All

Sources:
1. http://www.mayoclinic.org
2. http://water.usgs.gov
3. http://www.waterinfo.org
4. http://www.webmd.com
5. http://www.lhj.com
6. http://science.howstuffworks.com
7. http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov
8. http://money.usnews.com
9. http://www.cdc.gov
10. http://www.cbsnews.com
11. http://www.statista.com
12. http://abclocal.go.com
13. http://www.everydayhealth.com
14. http://www.shape.com

Save And Share This Infographic: What Is The Shelf Life Of Your Food?

Wasted food

According to a survey by the Food Marketing Institute, such confusion leads nine out of 10 Americans to needlessly throw away food. The survey found 90 percent of Americans “at least occasionally throw food away prematurely because they mistakenly interpret the date label to mean their food is unsafe” — and 25 percent say they always discard food on or before that date.

Related: Long Term Food Storage

The researchers blame “a lack of binding federal standards, and the resultant state and local variability in date labeling rules” for the inconsistency in date-labeling practices.”

In 2012, one national study estimated that 40 percent of the country’s food supply goes uneaten. The cost of that wasted food is about $165 billion, including $900 million in “expired” food.

A family of four, the study found, spends an average of $455 a year on food it doesn’t eat. The researchers recommend making “sell by” dates invisible to the consumer, and have the food industry establish a standard, uniform labeling system.

Types of FOOD dating

There are three types of dates on a food that is purchased. If the package says “Sell By,” be sure to purchase the food before the date listed. The “sell by” date tells the grocer how long to display the food. The food should remain good for a period of time once you get it home.

The “Best if Used By” is not a purchase or safety date. The date stamped after that term is the date the food should be used by for best flavor or quality. A “Use-By” date is the last date recommended for peak quality of the product.

All three terms are guides to help a purchaser determine the quality of the food. The food can be safe and of good quality after any of the three above open-dating terms are used.

This Infographic below explains a bit more:

FoodShelfLife-InfoGraphic3

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