Important Nutrients Every Woman Needs

Everyone’s nutrient needs are not exactly the same. While most people benefit from the same vitamins and minerals, a woman’s needs can be a little different because her body goes through different things throughout life. Here are some healthy nutrients that are important for women to get. Women of every age, height, weight, and activity level have at least one thing in common: We need certain nutrients that our bodies don't make, but require to function properly.

Iron

A deficiency in iron can cause anaemia a very common problem among women. Iron gets oxygen to your cells and a lack of it makes you lethargic and tired. Include lean meat like chicken and turkey as well as fortified cereals and beans in your diet.

Omega-3 fatty acids

Omega-3 fatty acids are 'good' fats known to reduce the risk of heart disease. And you can find it in fish like sardines, salmon, herring, trout and mackerel. Walnuts and flaxseeds also contain omega-3 fatty acids.

Vitamin D

The calcium you consume will be useless if your body does not produce adequate vitamin D, which helps your body absorb calcium. Vitamin D is found in fish like tuna and salmon as well as in fortified orange juice.

Fibre

Fibre is required for digestion and prevention of heart disease because it lowers cholesterol and blood sugar levels. Women under 50 need at least 25 grams of fibre a day. Good sources of fibre are nuts, fruits, vegetables, and whole-grain breads.

Protein

An important nutrient in building healthy bones and muscles, protein also fights germs, breaks down everything you eat and controls your metabolism. Found in poultry, red meat, fish and nuts, studies say that women require at least 45 grams of protein daily.

Folic acid

While folic acid is very important for pregnant women, it is essential for the rest as well. Experts say that folic acid helps your cells divide and is found in green, leafy vegetables, juices, beans, fortified cereal and nuts.

Fibre

Not only does fibre keep your blood sugar and cholesterol levels in check, it also help you digest your food better. Fibre is found in vegetables, fruits, whole-grain breads and cereals, nuts and beans.

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Beauty Tips for Oily Skin

Oily skin can take you through tough times as the sebaceous glands are over-active, producing excess sebum, contributing to a shiny, greasy-looking face and skin concerns such as acne, blackheads and whiteheads, enlarged or clogged pores etc. Pollution and dirt can even lead to comedones (skin-bumps) for those with very oily skin. The solution for this is to keep the oil production in control by following some simple beauty and skin care tips for oily skin.

Adding to your frustration, whether you know it or not, is the fact that that many of the products claiming to eliminate shine and reduce oil actually make matters worse because they contain ingredients that irritate your skin and trigger more oil production!

Exfoliate regularly

Oily skin tends to have an extra-thick layer of built-up dead skin cells on the surface of the skin, along with a thickened pore lining. Exfoliating is the best way to remove that build up, reduce clogged pores and white bumps, while making skin feel smoother.

Use a toner

For other skin types you can probably get away with not toning after cleansing but for oily skin. Using an alcohol based toner is important to help you get rid of any excess oil, dirt and makeup.

Apply a light moisturizer 

It sounds a little crazy to apply moisturizer to oily skin, but you need to replace the moisture on your skin that gets removed during cleansing. The skin’s response to oil removal is to produce more oil, so it’s important to keep your skin’s moisture level balanced.

Always step out with sunscreen on

Even if you have oily skin, a sunscreen is essential for preventing wrinkles and reducing red marks. If you’ve avoided sunscreens because the ones you’ve tried are too greasy, go for an oil-free sunscreen with a minimum Sun Protection Factor (SPF) of 15.

Manage spots

If you only get spots or blackheads every now and then, find a product that contains benzoyl peroxide, alpha hydroxy acid or salicylic acid to treat them when they appear. Just make sure you don’t use creams or ointments that are oily or fatty, or which contain alcohol or fragrances.

How to Lighten Skin Naturally

The best way to whiten one’s skin is to opt for natural skin lightening remedies. When speaking of natural, it means that it came from the nature itself. There are no chemicals involved. These natural remedies are economical and user friendly because the ingredients can be seen just inside your kitchen. There is no need to go to a beauty shop just to have it. Also, there are minimal cases of skin inflammation due to allergic reactions,which is safe for everyone who wishes to have a fairer skin.

However, there are some natural home remedies that can help to lighten black skin without the use of chemicals or medical treatments.

Aloe Vera

Aloesin is a compound that is present in aloe vera plant. Aloesin can inhibit tyrosinase activity thus regulating the production of melanin in your skin. This way you can get fairer skin by using aloe vera gel. As aloe vera also have many additional benefits in the form of its antioxidant properties, it can give you a soft, smooth skin which is light in color.

Rice Flour Scrub

Regular scrubbing ensures removal of dead cells which accumulate on the skin over a period of time and lend it a dull and sallow look.  Grind some rice to fine powder and mix in milk cream or curd as per your skin type. Use this as a scrub all over your body once in a week and fall in love with your skin. Make sure to finely grind the powder. Coarse powder will not make a smooth scrub and will fall off your skin quickly, making it messy and ineffective.

Potatoes And Milk

This may seem like an unusual combination but a mask made from potatoes and milk lighten the skin tone fast. Take a freshly peeled potato and grate it. In the grated potato, mix raw milk and half teaspoon finely grounded rice flour.Mix the paste well and apply on your face and neck. Once it dries, massage your face and neck with wet fingers and rinse with plain water. Regular use will not only lighten the skin tone but will also brighten the complexion.

Honey and Almond

Honey and almond work wonderfully for skin whitening if applied together. They moisturize skin as well as remove all sun tan. You can make this mask easily. Just mix 1 tsp of honey, 1 tsp of milk powder, half tsp of almond powder or oil and 1 tsp of honey. Mix them and make a paste. Apply it for 15-20 minutes and then rinse off with normal water.

Gram Flour Face Mask

Gram flour also called chickpea flour, is made from the Garzanbo legume and has been used in India since ages to make skin softer, smoother and lightened. It not only acts as an excellent exfoliant but transfers all its nutrients to your skin to make it glow. When you make face mask using gram flour, you add a host of other ingredients that also whiten your skin. Used regularly, you can get whitened skin easily with this face mask.

Treadmill Workouts to Lose Weight

Working out on a treadmill can be a horrible way to lose fat fast. Working out on a treadmill can be an excellent way to lose fat fast. Hitting the treadmill will burn calories, and that's the key to weight loss. You'll need to burn 3,500 calories to lose a pound of fat. While your 30-minute treadmill workouts won't approach that, they will help you chip away at the pounds if you perform them regularly.

There are four basic categories that can be used to customize any workout done on a treadmill. Walking, running, hills and intervals are variations that make a workout more exciting and more intense. There are many workout programs available that have been premade with a specific goal in mind. Some are for burning fat and others are for increasing running speed. If none of the premade workouts work, it is easy to create one that will get the right results.

Treadmill Basics

The treadmill is a solid choice for beginners because there isn’t much of a learning curve. You already know how to walk, so lace up those athletic shoes and start moving. And no, you don’t have to run on the ‘mill like a mouse to lose weight. Walking briskly is enough to burn hundreds of calories. A 160-pound woman burns 314 calories per hour walking at a pace of 3.5 miles per hour.

Interval Treadmill Workout

The interval treadmill workout is a combination of various types of exercises, performed in intervals. Start by walking for about five minutes to warm up and then speed the pace to a sprint for 20 seconds. Slow down to a moderate walk for 10 seconds, then speed back up to the sprint pace for another 20 seconds. Keep doing this alternating in a 30-minute workout. Once, you have finished your 30-minute workout, cool down for a 5 – 10 minutes.

The Weight Loss Shuffle

For effective weight loss, try this 30-minute treadmill workout. Start with a warm up for 3 minutes at a steady pace (about 5 miles per hour), and then turn to your left and side shuffle for 30 seconds before completely turning around to the right for another 30 seconds of shuffling. Remember to shuffle your feet. Once you have finished 30 seconds on each side, face forward again and start jogging for 3 minutes, then turn sideways for another 30 seconds shuffle on each side.  Then start jogging again for 3 minutes to cool down.

Staying Motivated

Finding an hour a day to get on the treadmill might sound impossible. Fortunately, you don’t have to do your entire workout all at once. Break it up into three 20-minute sections throughout the day, before work, over lunch and again in the evening, and you’ll have reached an hour without rearranging your entire life. Breaking up your workout leads to the same weight loss as one continuous workout.

Guide to Olive Oil Hair Treatments

Olive Oil for Hair Care

Olive oil is a natural ingredient that offers benefits when consumed, and when applied on the skin and hair. When olive oil is used as a mask and allowed to soak into the hair, it improves its look, feel and manageability. Olive oil is a rich emollient that conditions the hair and makes it easy to comb. It also adds shine and prevents breakage. When the olive oil mask is massaged into the scalp, it may reduce hair loss. Olive oil is beneficial for all hair types and ethnicities.

Some of the best treatments for hair can be made at home using olive oil. The immediate results of such treatments are more manageable and healthier looking hair. At the same time, your scalp will be much cleaner after an olive oil hair treatment. It moisturizes the hair and gives it some added shine. It repairs hair, which has been damaged due to various reasons.

Add Shine

Using olive oil regularly can add moisture and shine to your hair. Shampoo your hair and massage olive oil into your hair instead of your regular conditioner.

Scalp Massage

Another way to incorporate the rich benefits of olive oil into your hair is through scalp massage. Scalp massage not only stimulates root growth, promoting activity and increased circulation, it also helps distribute the scalp's natural oils through the shaft of the hair, increasing moisture content.

Reduce Dandruff

One of the main causes of dandruff is a dry scalp. Massage olive oil into your scalp once or twice a week during your regular shampoo to provide extra moisture to the skin.

Gain Softness

Split ends and dry hair can make your hair feel less than soft. Increase the softness in your hair by adding a deep conditioning treatment with olive oil each week.

Reduce Split Ends

Although olive oil will not cure split ends, it can be a temporary solution for the frizziness caused by this problem. After you dry and style your hair, use a very small amount of olive oil on the ends of your hair to temporarily "glue" the ends together.

Being More Manageable

If your hair is unmanageable and impossible to style due to being dry, you can add an olive oil treatment to make your hair more manageable. Massage olive oil into your hair and leave it in for 30-45 minutes before washing it out.

Best Tips to Prevent Breast Cancer

For so many women, there is no more dreaded disease than breast cancer. Breast cancer elicits fears associated with loss of body image and sexuality, surgery, and death. As is the case for cancer malignancy, the exact cause of breast cancer is not clearly known. Furthermore, there is certainly no cure for advanced disease, and there's no definitive way of preventing it.

While much work still remains done to understand the causes of breast cancer and also to develop new tests to detect and diagnose the disease, medical scientific study has made significant advances within the fight against breast cancer.

Start the Countdown

The recommendations to prevent all cancers apply to breast cancer. The recommendation includes: Quit smoking, reduce dietary fat, and eat fortifying food such as broccoli and Brussels sprouts. These cruciferous vegetables provide indoles, sulfur compounds that could also help spur cancer-fighting enzymes that could block or reduce cell damage.

Know your family history

Using a first-degree relative with breast cancer raises your risk of someday setting it up too. Being aware of your history could change your doctor's recommendations for screening, so speak with your family now. However, most breast cancer happens in women without a family history, so that's not a totally free pass.

Food is always first

Eat antioxidant-rich foods like organic fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds, and healthy fats and oils like avocado and additional virgin olive oil. Eat your rainbow of 8-10 areas of vegetables and fruits every day to get optimal phytonutrient benefit. Especially include cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, kale, cabbage, and bok choy, which offer indole-3-carbinol (I3C), a phytonutrient which helps metabolize estrogen.

Maintain Normal Weight

Piling around the pounds-especially around the waistline is associated with increased breast cancer risk. One study demonstrated that women in their 50's who have gained greater than 20 pounds had twice the risk of breast cancer. Body fat may convert adrenal hormones to estrogen after menopause. Losing weight before menopause, however, lowers risk.

Be physically active

Physical activity will help you maintain a healthy weight, which, in turn, helps prevent breast cancer. For most healthy adults, the Department of Health and Human Services recommends a minimum of 150 minutes a week of moderate aerobic activity or 75 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity weekly, plus strength training at least two times a week.

Quit smoking

Smokers have a 24% higher risk and former smokers possess a 13% higher risk of invasive breast cancer than non-smokers.

Avoid alcohol

Alcohol changes the way in which estrogen is metabolized in our body, be responsible for estrogen dominance. Women who drink alcohol have higher body estrogen levels compared to those who don’t.

Limit dose and amount of hormone therapy

Combination hormone therapy for greater than three to five years increases the risk of breast cancer. If you are taking hormone therapy for menopausal symptoms, ask your doctor about other options. You might be able to manage your symptoms with nonhormonal therapies, such as physical activity. If you decide that the benefits of short-term hormone therapy outweigh the risks, use the lowest dose that works for you.

Tips for Preventing Breast Cancer

If you're concerned about breast cancer, you might be wondering if there are steps you can take toward breast cancer prevention. Some risk factors, such as family history, can't be changed. However, you will find lifestyle changes you can make to lower your risk.

To prevent new cancers from starting, scientists take a look at risk factors and protective factors. Something that increases your chance of developing cancer is called a cancer risk factor.

Watch what you drink

Drinking alcohol can reduce heart disease risk, but if you drink too much, you could be bumping up your breast cancer risk. Eliminate drinking alcohol, or choose to have just one less than 3 times a week to cut your breast cancer risk.

Family history

If anyone in your immediate family (mother, sister, or daughter) has had breast cancer, you're also at greater risk. Breast cancer can run in families, however this does not mean you will automatically get the disease. Genetic testing and counseling is available for women worried about their risk.

Exercise

Yes, it seems to be the fix for everything, but that is because it practically is a magic bullet. With regard to breast cancer, working out hard at least four hours per week drops your risk as much as 40 percent.

Don’t Take Hormone Therapy

Hormone therapy has been shown to increase the risk of breast cancer when taken long-term. If you are already taking hormone therapy, ask your doctor about other options. If you haven't begun hormone therapy, avoid it if possible. If you do decide to use hormone therapy, make sure that you use the lowest possible dose and just use hormone therapy as a temporary fix.

Meditation

It's important to remember that does not only do we want our bodies to be healthy but our minds as well. If you (or someone you know) has been identified as having cancer, it can be difficult to remain focused in order to see beyond the diagnosis.

Consume as many fruits and vegetables as possible

Eat seven or more servings daily. The superstars for breast cancer protection include all cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, cabbage, brussels sprouts, cauliflower) ; dark leafy greens (collards, kale, spinach) ; carrots and tomatoes. The superstar fruits include citrus, berries and cherries.

Boost Your Immunity

Scientific study has isolated 2 key areas for breast cancer prevention - estrogen regulation and immunity boosting. Many types of breast cancer are fueled by estrogen, but you will find ways you can reduce the fuel which makes cancer cells multiply, divide and spread. Strengthening your immune system is one of the best defenses against cancer and other diseases.