Most of us workaholic. We work so hard to meet the necessity and demands of our daily lives. Sometimes we forgot to enjoy and have time to relax, play and dance. It is one of the cause why people will become boring and lost the energy and joy of working because they get easily worn out. Vacation are given to all the employees in order to be refreshed and renewed. I am guilty of that. I usually take my vacation when there is a special occasion or something but it was not a good idea. I should have vacation with no appointments and everything just enjoy the moment and play. We should try to maintain the balance between our work, family, friends and leisure. When we are just working and working, we will have untimely signs of aging and no one like that.
Our skin starts to age when its cells die off faster than the body can replace them. Sickness, anxiety, stress and depression also add to the aging of the skin. Try and maintain a balanced lifestyle by balancing work with play and doing fun activities that you enjoy.

Tomatoes – High in Vitamin C and a Powerful Antioxidant

I really love tomatoes. I like to eat raw tomatoes and dip in a salt. I want to have tomatoes in every meal. It is so nice to know that I got a lot of it that is very good for my health.

Until the 1800s, tomatoes were thought to be poisonous. Today they are known to contain more Vitamin C than oranges and to contain lycopene (the red pigment) which, some research suggests, may have twice the power of the well-known antioxidant beta carotene.

As a general rule, food is better eaten raw rather than cooked. But in the case of tomatoes, raw and cooked are both better! Want the vitamin C benefits? Then eat them raw. If you want the antioxidant benefits then you need your tomatoes cooked or at least heated. And yes, tomatoes are a rare case in which (for antioxidant reasons) saucing and canning also improves them.

One last thing – much of the good is in the red. So eat your tomatoes very ripe and very red.

Everyday in our lives we experience stress. No matter how small or big it is what we call stress. It is easy to be stressed out when things do not happen as what we expect. When we are in stress there are many physical symptoms that happen. Just like headaches, nauseated, and many others.

Feel that pounding headache? Is that stress? Or is that the cumulative effect of stress? Is it just the proverbial straw on the camel’s back?

Stress is like thirst. By the time your body says, “Hey, I’m thirsty,” it means that your body is really dehydrated.

Your body puts up with the lack of water for the longest time, before it gets on the phone to your brain screaming: “Get me to the water, will ya?”

Stress is exactly the same. It builds one layer on top of the other. The headache is a sign that you need to stop now. Not tomorrow. Not next week.

You brain needs to get it’s drink of ‘relaxation’ right away.

Your dehydrated brain needs peace and quiet. Re-hydrate your brain today. Stop. Slow down. Take a sip of relaxation. Take two sips.

Feels better already, doesn’t it?

Food and food, so good, especially seafoods. The internal organs of sea creatures shines forth light; they had eaten a lot of fresh weeds as they grow, and hidden all the sea nutrients and delicacies within them. That is why I love seafood on top of all kinds of food, especially shrimps. They replenish what minerals our body needs. Aside from that, they really taste so delicious, a great mouth-watering taste. You see it is very beneficial to use domestic seafood because of that; they are healthy and full of nutrients. They are fresh and when in local season, they are fat and readily available, enough to meet our needs. Here in Louisiana, food is superb, unique and special on its own. It is one of the great American seafood. But so other states have great to offer. Showcased in www.GreatAmericanSeafoodCookOff.com, talented chefs from across America make use of sustainable domestic seafood and recipes in a cook off. Look how delicious they seem.

Which one is your favorite? Mine is the Shrimp and Andouille Cassoulet by Louisiana Chef Brian Landry, the first one. It is a simple dish but the way of cooking and the sincerity in preparing it with all the healthy ingredients all combined make it very creative and special.
Visit the website and vote for your favorite dish at the same time learn new great recipes, to have a chance to to win a trip to New Orleans prize with the travel, accomodation and food package. Cook it off!

 Having bad breath is an offensive thing and it will let us down. It affects our confidence when communicating with people. Healthy teeth and gums mean much more than a pretty smile. To help freshen your breath let me share with you things you can do for a healthier mouth and fresh breath.
• Practice daily dental hygiene – brush your teeth following meals and floss daily to remove food particles and plaque from between your teeth. Also thoroughly and gently brush your tongue. It’s host to all sorts of bacteria. If you wear a bridge or partial or complete denture, clean it thoroughly at least once a day or as directed by your dentist.
• Keep your mouth moist – drink plenty of water (not coffee, pop or alcohol) to keep saliva flowing. Chewing gum (preferably sugarless) also stimulates saliva, washing away food particles and bacteria.
• Beware of odor-causing foods and beverages – when you’re especially concerned about your breath, avoid foods such as garlic, onions, fish, milk, eggs, cabbage, legumes, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, coffee and alcohol.
• Visit your dentist regularly – regular cleaning of your teeth by a dental professional can help eliminate oder-causing plaque.
• Keep breath mints (preferably sugarless) or mouth- wash handy – these products may not all fight bacteria, but in a pinch they can help disguise bad breath. If bad breath persists, see your dentist. If the cause isn’t dental, see your doctor to determine the possible medical cause.

One of the most common cancers today is colon cancer. It is sad to say that this kind of cancer can somehow be prevented. There are many predisposing factors that can be modified as prevention of the disease such as: good eating habits and proper diet, increase water intake, regular bowel movement and to make sure to have colon cleanse.

Every time I got tired and exhausted from work, I usually treat myself for a whole body massage in Thai massage center. They really know where to press the center point that relaxes the muscles. It really feels so good after an hour of massage. I once had a thought of enrolling to one of the massage therapy schools where they were trained. I learned some of their techniques by going there more often.

I remember a friend of mine back in high school. She suffered an acne. It was terrible. It really made her feel that she is very ugly and sometimes she doesn’t want to go to school because of it. She was advised to avoid fatty foods and was prescribed with acne cream. I was wondering how is she now. I am sure is doing great.