Dietary fat is actually a healthy component of a balanced diet. In fact, it’s necessary for some rather important and relevant body functions, especially if you’re concerned about the health of your hair, skin, and nails.
Dietary fat comes in many different forms. There are healthy fats and unhealthy fats. Unhealthy fats are those found in fried foods and vegetable oils. Healthy fats are derived from avocados, olives, nuts, and consist of omega-3’s like those from salmon and other fish. Healthy fats are also available in supplement form and are known as EFA’s (essential fatty acids). Like the name implies, fatty acids are essential to proper health and body functioning.
In a diet lacking healthy fats, your hair, skin, and nails, may reap the consequences. Healthy fats are like nature’s moisturizing oil. They allow skin to remain soft and supple, hair to retain moisture and luster, and nails to remain healthy and strong.
As diet trends come and go, fats have been blamed and praised. They key is a healthy balance. Too much fat (even the healthy kind) can cause unwanted weight gain. Too little and your hair, skin, and nails may become dry, brittle, and damaged.
While some individuals (read: men) may not think dry skin, hair, or nails is of much concern to them, this is likely because they haven’t gone long without EFA’s. Anyone who’s tried a no-fat diet is familiar with the repercussions. Dry skin means itchiness and irritation, which can occur on the scalp as well. Dry hair means breakage, split ends, and lack of hair growth (under-nourished hair follicles means no hair growth).
Take a look at your diet and evaluate how much EFA’s you’re incorporating.
Tag Archives: healthy diet
Could drinking alcohol be setting your health goals back?
Its no surprise to anyone with a health or fitness goal that alcohol is difficult to factor in. Alcoholic drinks are often high in calories, sugar, and carbohydrates. But does having a health or fitness goal mean you have to skip out on the alcohol all the time?
There’s no getting around the facts. High calories, high sugar content, and high carbohydrate intake are not conducive to a healthy diet or weight loss. In addition to the nutrition label, alcohol actually stalls your metabolism, so it can in fact set your health goals back.
That being said, life is about balance. And we know you work hard to maintain your health. That’s why we’ve compiled these tips on how to choose the healthiest alcoholic beverage when you’re out. Here’s how you can incorporate the occasional alcoholic beverage without derailing the healthy lifestyle you worked so hard for.
Go light. If you have to drink beer, go for the lighter alternative. Light beers, while they may not taste as good, can have just a fraction of the calories and/or carbohydrates.
Get back to the basics. Straight alcohol isn’t for everyone, its definitely an acquired taste. There’s a reason sugary drinks are the norm.. they taste better! That being said, straight alcohol has far fewer calories than their sugary counterparts. So if you can stomach it, skip the juice and soda mixers. Try a vodka soda or tequila on the rocks. You may surprise yourself.
Just have one or two. Stopping after just one or two drinks not only helps cut down on the calories, sugar, and carbs, it helps eliminate the hangover the next day too. Bonus! If you’re not ready to go home after one, but don’t want to hang with friends empty-handed, switch to a diet soda or sparkling water. You’ll still feel included and your friends won’t be the wiser.
How important is water intake in overall health?
You’ve heard it before – healthy individuals should drink 8 glasses of water a day. But we have questions. Why 8 glasses? How important is water in a healthy diet? And what are the actual benefits of consuming water?
We’ve done the research and found the answers to these questions.
Why 8 glasses of water?
So, is 8 glasses a magic number? Its turns out no. In fact, a new report found that the old adage was just a suggestion and not founded on any actual research.
So what does the research say? Researchers suggest a more technical approach to water intake. According to the Mayo Clinic, there’s a simple formula to calculating your individualized water intake.
Step 1. Divide your weight (in lbs) by 2.2
Step 2. Multiply that number by your age.
Step 3. Divide that number by 28.3
Step 4. Your total is how many ounces of water you should drink per day.
If you don’t feel like doing any math, the numbers come out to 13 cups on average for men and 9 cups on average for women.
How important is water in a healthy diet?
Water is essential to maintaining a healthy diet. It is considered a necessary nutrient for proper body functioning.
We lose water daily through sweat, evaporation, breathing and urination. Consuming water replaces lost water and maintains healthy levels.
This delicate balance is what keeps us hydrated. When dehydration occurs, we can feel ill, faint, have stomach upset, painful urination, and even require hospitalization.
What are the benefits of consuming water?
Maintains balance of bodily fluids. Water helps us stay hydrated and feeling good. Additionally, it helps pass food, aiding in digestion.
Controls calorie intake. Water is the healthier option over calorie-filled drinks. It can also help in feeling full, which could lead to consuming less calories through food.
Keeps skin looking and feeling healthy. Your skin contains lots of water in its cells. When you’re dehydrated, skin can appear more dry and wrinkly. Increasing water intake allows your skin cells to absorb more water improving the appearance and feel.
Helps energize muscles. Water helps ward off muscle fatigue which means more stamina during physical activity.
