My Diet Formula

Saturday, 22 December 2012

Decorated Christmas Trees Picture Gallary

Are you searching how to decorate a Christmas tree? We are here to help you.  You can refer these decorations and make your way easy.  Christmas trees are placed usually near the Christmas cribs in front of the house. They are lighted up with multi colour lights, decorated with ornaments like tinny dolls, balls, paper cutting, glitters, balloons and stars.  Here are some beautifully decorated Christmas trees to help you.

Picture of Decorated Christmas Trees and Xmas stockings

Decorated photo of Christmas Trees and Xmas stockings for Desktop Wallpaper

Xmas Tree adorned with lights night view

Photo of Decorated Christmas Trees with gifts and balls                        

Saturday, 15 December 2012

10 Amazing Foods That Help Prevent Hair Loss

Fhttp://www.symptomfind.com/nutrition-supplements/foods-to-prevent-hair-loss/or some people, hair loss is an inevitable adversity they must face due to their genetic makeup. Many look for various treatments to prevent or reverse the process of hair loss. Others search for various ways to conceal it, and some people learn to embrace it. While some are often resigned to their genetic disposition, many people who fear what may come of their hair as they age do extensive research on ways to prevent hair loss.
If you're looking to make a change and keep those locks on top of your head strong and healthy, you might want to add these foods that prevent hair loss to your regular diet:

1. Fish

Hair is mostly made of protein, so it's no mystery why it is considered a very important nutrient for healthy hair. Salmon, tuna, mackerel and cod are all great sources of protein, and they come with numerous health benefits from omega 3 fatty acids. But, why can't you eat red-meat for your hair strengthening, protein source? Red-meat, chicken and other sources of protein are fine, just as long as they are not high in fat. Diets high in fat can increase testosterone levels in the body, which has been linked to hair loss. It's good to add more protein to your diet, but you want to avoid foods high in fat, which is why fish is such a great food source that prevents hair loss.

2. Eggs and Dairy Products

If you're a vegetarian looking for more foods with protein to strengthen your hair, eggs and dairy products make for adequate food sources. Just remember to watch the fat, and opt for healthier products like low-fat yogurt or skim milk. Egg and dairy products also have significant amounts of vitamin A, which can help produce sebum in the scalp. Sebum is a type of oil that the body secretes to lubricate the skin and hair.

3. Beans

Vegans can also find sufficient protein food sources to help prevent hair loss with beans and other legumes. Another added benefit found in beans that can help prevent hair loss is vitamin E. The vitamin E found in beans acts as an antioxidant that can help increase scalp circulation. If you are suffering from high blood pressure and are under medication, consult your physician before increasing your vitamin E intake.

4. Whole Grains

Whole grains have numerous benefits that can help prevent hair loss. Foods like whole wheat breads and cereals contain vitamin B7, which can help prevent hair loss while suppressing the formation of gray hair.

5. Poultry

Like it was mentioned before, chicken and other forms of poultry are foods high in protein and low in fat that can help prevent hair loss. Poultry also contains vitamin B3, a nutrient that encourages better blood circulation in the scalp.

6. Fruits High in Vitamin C

When leaning towards fruits as a food that will help prevent hair loss, you want to choose the types that are loaded with vitamin C. Some good examples are:
These foods contain a significant amount of vitamin C, which acts as an antioxidant that can help maintain the skin and hair. Vitamin C is also important for helping the absorption of iron, another nutrient that is important for preventing hair loss.

7. Carrots

Carrots are commonly known as good food for the eyes, but they are also good food for the hair. Like eggs and dairy products, the vitamin A found in carrots is important for producing healthy sebum for the scalp. This will keep your hair looking healthy and shiny.

8. Shrimp

Shrimps and other foods high in zinc are important for preventing hair loss. The zinc found in shrimps attach to the glands connected to hair follicles. Increasing your intake of this nutrient will help keep your hair from thinning. Some studies suggest that taking in too much zinc can actually cause your hair loss because of the possibility of increased testosterone levels. The Recommended Daily Amount (RDA) of zinc is 11 milligrams if you intend to use this nutrient to prevent hair loss.

9. Nuts

Consider adding more nuts like almonds, peanuts and walnuts to your diet to help prevent hair loss. Not only do they contain omega 3 fatty acids that can help condition your hair, but they also are a great source of zinc, which can help prevent hair from shedding.

10. Dark Green Vegetables

Spinach, broccoli and other dark green vegetables are also great sources for vitamin A and C. Like many other foods on this list, these vegetables help produce the natural hair conditioner known as sebum.http://www.symptomfind.com/nutrition-supplements/foods-to-prevent-hair-loss/

Saturday, 8 December 2012

Top 5 Healthy Finger Foods

Snacking has become part of America's dietary culture. According to the Nutrition and Well-Being A to Z website, "Sixty percent of Americans eat snack food regularly, consuming about 20 percent of their calories from snacks. " Done correctly, snacking between meals can be beneficial to your health. Finger foods are arguably the easiest snacks to enjoy, and offer the perfect opportunity to pack in healthy nutrients. Try these easy finger food recipes the next time you find yourself ready for a snack. Mama Mia Cubes
In only fifteen minutes you can have a delicious and healthy snack at your fingertips. You'll need eight slices of boiled or baked ham, a medium cantaloupe, and about a cup of pretzel sticks. Cut the ham into one inch wide strips and cube the cantaloupe. Wrap a strip of ham around each cube of cantaloupe, and secure with a pretzel stick. Chill before serving. Ta-da! Per serving, you'll only eat twenty-six calories and one and a half grams of fat. As Miss Ray would say, "Yum-Oh!"
Frozen Yogurt Pops
Here's one the kids will love. With only 110 calories and no fat, plus good-for-you bacteria strains like Lactobacillus, which aid in digestion, you'll love them too. Using an eight ounce container of your favorite flavor of yogurt, fill small paper cups to the brim. Cover each with a small square of plastic wrap, and have the kids poke a hole in the top with a Popsicle stick. Make sure they're standing up straight, and pop in the freezer until frozen solid. When they're ready, remove the plastic wrap, peel away the paper cup, and enjoy! For added nutrients, stir in some frozen berries before freezing.
Edamame
A common appetizer for Asian cuisine, these boiled soybeans are fiber-packed and contain soy protein, which has cholesterol lowering properties. Pick some up in the frozen food section, preferably pre-shelled. Run about a cup under steaming hot water just long enough to thaw, and splash with some lemon juice. At 170 calories and six grams of fat, they're great for between-meal snacking, and the fiber and protein will help you feel full long enough to curb any more snack-attacks before dinner.
Rocket Canapes These will take a bit longer to prepare, but it's well worth it. Mix three tablespoons mayonnaise, one teaspoon lemon juice, 1/4 teaspoon Tabasco sauce, and 1/4 teaspoon salt (optional) in a small bowl. Add one cup finely minced arugula, 1/2 cup finely minced watercress, and one whole green onion, also finely minced, to the mayonnaise mixture. Stir until everything is well mixed. Cut one and a half inch rounds from your favorite bread and spread 1/2 teaspoon of the mixture on the rounds. Chill before serving. This recipe will make more or less, depending on how heavily you choose to spread the rounds. Enjoy these tasty snacks, because you'll only eat two calories and one gram of fat per serving. Just remember, a serving is only one canape.
Dried Plums I love to save the best for last, and dried plums are by far the healthiest choice on my list. They're a sweet treat that require no preparation, and are packed with more antioxidants per ounce than the ever-famous blueberries. Check out your grocer's fruit section, and you'll undoubtedly find a wide variety of other types of dried fruits as well. A single serving is about seven dried plums, and you'll only eat 100 calories and no fat, plus the added bonus of Vitamin A, Calcium, Iron, Potassium, and fiber.
These tried-and-true recipes are sure to please, and will help you avoid resorting to empty calories that will leave you feeling less than satisfied. The next time you hear your stomach growling two hours before dinner, reach for one of these healthy snacks and pat yourself on the back. You deserve it!http://voices.yahoo.com/top-5-healthy-finger-foods-1884914.html

Saturday, 1 December 2012

10 Tips to Avoid Insomnia and Get a Good Night's Sleep

The following suggestions are intended to help overcome temporary insomnia and maximize the chance of getting a healthy night's sleep:
  1. Make your bedroom an inviting place. Keep the room free of clutter and distractions. Be sure you have the right bed and mattress for your needs. The wrong mattress can lead to musculoskeletal problems and sleep disturbances.
  2. Use the bed only for sleeping and sex. Avoid use of the bed for watching TV, eating, working, or any other activities. If you do wish to use the bed for a bit of nighttime reading, read only pleasure books in bed.
  3. Therapists often use "reconditioning" as part of a treatment plan for insomnia. With this method, people are "reconditioned" to associate the bed with sleep. If you find yourself unable to sleep at all, get out of bed and move to another room, so that you only associate the bed with sleep and not with wakefulness.
  4. Establish a regular sleep-wake cycle. Your body will learn to set its internal clock to your schedule and will eventually respond to internal cues to become sleepy at a given time and to awaken at a given time. A good way to begin this is by getting up at the same time every morning, even on weekends.
  5. Don't nap. No matter how tempting it may be, an afternoon nap can make falling asleep at night even harder. "Extra" sleep on weekends can also throw off your regular sleep schedule and worsen midweek insomnia.
  6. Limit your consumption of caffeine in the afternoon and evening. Remember that eating chocolates and drinking cocoa and colas also are sources of caffeine.
  7. Watch your alcohol intake. Don't drink any alcoholic beverages in the few hours prior to going to bed. Excessive amounts of alcohol at any time in the day can also disrupt sleep patterns and lead to unsatisfying sleep. Cigarette smoking can also worsen insomnia.
  8. Fit in some exercise during the day, but don't exercise strenuously right before bedtime.
  9. Eat light meals in the evening. Eating heavily in the evening or eating just prior to going to bed can disrupt your sleep.
  10. Establish a "winding down" ritual in the evenings just prior to bedtime. Try to free your mind of distracting or troublesome thoughts and engage in a relaxing, enjoyable activity like reading, listening to music, or watching a pleasant film. http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=47584

Friday, 23 November 2012

Do You Know How to Lose Stubborn Belly Fat?

Do you know how to lose stubborn belly fat? Take the following multiple choice quiz and see if you know all there is to know about how to shrink you waistline and keep the inches off.

(1) What types of foods contribute to excess fat in the abdominal area?

(a) Foods high in monounsaturated fats, such as nuts, seeds and dark chocolate.
(b) Fried foods
(c) High protein foods
(d) All of the above
Answer: (b) Fried foods often add unwanted inches to the abdominal area as the majority of their calories come from saturated fat. This type of fat is made from animal products and is also known to raise the level of cholesterol in the bloodstream. Therefore, fried foods are not only bad for your waistline but for the health of your heart as well. Foods high in monounsaturated fats are actually good for the abdominals if they are consumed in conservative portions. High protein foods speed up the metabolism and therefore help burn fat.

(2) What types of foods should be eliminated from the diet if you want to lose stubborn belly fat?

(a) Eliminate all sugary foods such as doughnuts and pastries.
(b) Toss out any foods that contain trans fats, such as chips from the vending machine.
(c) Remove low-fat dairy foods.
(d) Both (a) and (b)
Answer: (d) – Both (a) and (b) are the correct answers. Low-fat dairy foods, such as yogurt or skim milk are actually helpful in getting rid of belly fat as they release fat from fat cells in the abdominals and therefore reduce the amount of fat that is absorbed.

(3) Which food actually increases the body’s capacity to burn calories and therefore reduces belly fat?

(a) Chili peppers
(b) Oat or rice bran
(c)  Asparagus
(d) None of the above
Answer: (a) Chili peppers. Hot peppers of any kind contain capsaicin which increases the capacity for the body to burn calories by as much as five to ten percent.

(4) What is the best way to speed up the metabolism and therefore reduce fat from the belly?

(a) Eat foods high in protein, such as egg whites, chicken, fish, nuts, seeds as well as certain berries.
(b) Consume nutrient-rich foods such as fruits and vegetables.
(c) Drink plenty of water.
(d) All of the above.
Answer: (d) All of the above. Combined, all of the above approaches work as they speed up the body’s ability to burn calories and therefore reduce belly fat.

(5) When trying to lose weight, it’s helpful to detox the system to flush out any impurities so you can burn fat more efficiently. Which of the following fruits then is particularly useful in flushing out the kidneys?

(a) Kiwi
(b) Apple
(c) Cranberries
(d) Apricots
Answer: (c) Cranberries are specifically helpful in flushing any impurities from the kidneys. In fact, they are often used in clearing infections from the urinary tract.

(6) By adding fiber to your diet, you can significantly lose belly fat. Therefore, by simply doubling your fiber intake, how much weight, on average, can you lose in a year?

(a) 5 pounds
(b) 15 pounds
(c) 10 pounds
(d) None of the above. You can’t lose weight by merely doubling the amount of fiber you consume.
Answer: (c) 10 pounds. It’s been shown that if you simply alter your eating habits and include foods that contain more fiber, you will also see a lower number on the bathroom scale.

(7) Which of the following exercises is the best exercises to lose belly fat?

(a) Crunches
(b) Lifting Weights
(c) Running
(d) Both (b) and (c)
Answer: (d) Both (b) and (c) are the correct answers. Although crunches are good for toning and strengthening the abdominal area, they will not necessarily reduce the fat. The only way to burn fat is by speeding up the metabolism. A cardio workout like running assists in increasing the heart rate and the body’s ability to burn fat and calories.
Used in conjunction with resistance trainingor an anaerobic exercise such as weightlifting, you will indeed lose weight in the abdominal area. That’s because resistance training causes you to keep burning calories even after you’ve completed your session of exercise.

(8) Which of the following beverages will aid in reducing one’s waistline?

(a) Skim milk
(b) Coffee
(c) Green tea
(d) Both (a) and (c)
Answer: If you said (d) – both (a) and (c), you are correct. Skim milk is a low-fat dairy product. Any low-fat dairy product is helpful in lowering the amount of absorbed fat in the abdominal region and therefore reduces any accumulation of fat. Green tea too is a good beverage to consume if you want to reduce inches from your waist as it’s been proven to boost the metabolism and therefore burn fat. On the other hand, coffee dehydrates the system and is not a good choice if you want to lose weight in the abdominal area. It’s important to keep hydrated when you want to burn calories and lose excess weight. So coffee isn’t the best choice when it comes to something to drink.

(9) Which of the following foods is not rich in fiber and not necessarily helpful in weight reduction?

(a) Chick peas
(b) Strawberries
(c) Potatoes with skins
(d) None of the above.
Answer: (d) None of the above. All of the foods listed are rich in fiber and can help you lose weight if consumed in conservative portions.

(10) If you must cave in to temptation, which of the following treats would be best to eat if you want to keep your belly washboard flat?

(a) One or two bites of dark chocolate with almonds.
(b) An ice cream sandwich.
(c) Pork rinds.
(d) None of the above.
Answer: (a) Believe it or not, it’s been found that you can eat a small amount of dark chocolate without any adverse effects. If you wrap it around a protein like almonds, then you’ll even obtain more benefits. Dark chocolate contains monounsaturated fat, which is produced from plants and is an acceptable food to eat provided you consume only a small portion as it’s also dense calorically.
How do you “weight in” when it comes to belly fat? Did you get most of the above answers right or do you need to do some more homework? Regardless of your score, remember to keep a healthy perspective, which is the best way to lose belly fat. You’re already on your way to losing weight if you can maintain a positive outlook.   http://www.weightlosshelpandtips.net 
by Hara Hagikalfa

Friday, 16 November 2012

10 Essential Makeup Must-Haves

A No-Show Foundation

Are you warm? Cool? Olive? Give up? (We don't have a clue, either.) The best way to find your perfect match is to leave it to the professionals. Stop by any cosmetics counter and ask for help finding your shade. If you're fending for yourself, swipe a few colors vertically across your jawline, and whichever one is barely visible is your best bet.

A Super Concealer

Concealer is the only way to get rid of dark circles. And while it may just be a temporary fix, with the right technique you can hide them completely

A Natural Blush

The right shade will make you look like you're blushing, not like you're wearing blush. For a natural look, start with lighter shades, and skip any with shimmer.

A Great Eyelash Curler

Most eyelashes grow outward, not upward, so applying mascara without curling your lashes won't provide the same impact.

Clump-Free Mascara

Mascara thickens as it's exposed to air over time, which leads to clumps. If yours is goopy, toss it! Or try a different brand

A Glide-On Eyeliner

Eyes are sensitive, and probably don't take kindly to us slathering them with makeup -- especially on the sensitive rims and inner lash lines. Always use a soft pencil that glides on without any pressure or tugging, and be sure the product is labeled as ophthomalogist-tested.

An Allover Highlighter

A slightly shimmery cream highlighter has many uses -- from lifting your brows to slimming your nose to sculpting your cheeks. Choose a soft nude, peach, or pink for the most versatility.

The Perfect Nude Lipstick

Some look too brown, and others too pink. Is it futile to try and find that one nude shade that just makes a bare face pop? Not at the Bobbi Brown counter. The makeup artist known for the natural look also specializes in natural-looking lipstick (go figure). Trust us -- she has the perfect nude for everyone.

A Basic, Flattering Eyeshadow

Some eyeshadows barely show up; others make us look like we're headed to a Motley Crue concert. The perfect everyday shadow is just a few shades darker than your skin tone -- think a soft plum or light brown for darker skin, a taupey-gray or golden beige for medium skin, or light apricot for fair skin.

A Good Brush Set

With the right brush for the job, you can perform makeup miracles. (You don't see professional makeup artists using the tiny sponge applicators that come with the products!) Invest in a good brush set--Sephora makes great options in all price ranges. (By Marissa Gold ) http://www.lhj.com/style/beauty/makeup/10-essential-makeup-must-haves/?page=11

Sunday, 11 November 2012

7 tips to keep your skin healthy during winter

The winter months pose unique challenges to maintaining healthy skin. Constantly switching between indoor air and the harsh and cold winds of outdoor air removes moisture from the skin. While lotions and creams replace some of that moisture, it's better to prevent the moisture loss in the first place.
Skin that's dry, cracked, or irritated is vulnerable to infection, and that's why dermatologists say it's important to change your skin care regimen along with the seasons in order to boost your body's natural defenses.
What works in the warm, humid months of summer may leave your skin dry and chapped during the cold, dry months of winter. In humid conditions, the skin soaks up water from the air, but when the humidity falls, the skin loses a natural moisture source.
Here are a few ways to winterize your skin:
  • Use a humidifier in the bedroom or living room once the relative humidity inside drops below 60 percent.
  • Hot showers are a no-no: The cold temperatures may make a long, hot bath or shower sound like heaven, but hot water can wreak havoc on your skin. Instead take lukewarm showers, patting gently afterward with a towel and applying a moisturizer within three minutes of stepping out of the shower to lock in moisture.
  • Look for lotions or creams with any of the following ingredients: petrolatum, mineral oil, linoleic acid, ceramides, dimethicone or glycerin.
  • Keep well hydrated. This may be easier to remember during the summer months, but drinking lots of water keeps the skin moisturized and flushes the toxins out of your body.
  • Use lip balms and lipsticks with moisturizers.
  • Use sun block. Although the skin is less exposed in the winter, ultraviolet rays can be particularly intense on a clear winter day. Even when cloudy, UV rays still penetrate. If you go skiing UV exposure is even greater, so use a sunscreen that blocks both UVA and UVB radiation.
  • Brittle nails can be helped by using Vaseline to moisturize and a nail polish with nail protein. Also, keep nails short so fungus does not get in.
All of the above will help maintain healthy skin for the most part, but there are some conditions like eczema, psoriasis and seborrheic dermatitis which flare up particularly during the winter months. For these you should see a dermatologist for diagnosis and treatment.
http://today.msnbc.msn.com