How Tea Tree Essential Oil Can Benefit Your Skin

Tea tree oil might be exactly what you need.

Tea tree is a well-known natural component that has been used in medicine for centuries. This essential oil is an extract from the Australian crush tea.

It can be used through inhalation to treat colds and coughs - and it is also a famous remedy for healing the skin.

You will be surprised to know that tea tree essential oil can be used for a wide range of skin problems.

Tea Tree Essential Oil Skin Benefits

1. Sanitizes Your Hands
2. Alternative for Deodorant
3. Natural Antiseptic
4. Speeds Wound Healing
5. Relieves Acne
6. Anti-fungal Medication
7. Fights Bad Breath
8. Relieves Inflammation
9. Reduce Dandruff

1. Sanitizes Your Hands

Tea tree essential oil can be a good hand sanitizer. It can kill many bacteria that are responsible for illnesses like the cold and flu.

2. Alternative for Deodorant

If you want an effective and safe deodorant, tea tree essential oil can be a good alternative. It is useful for fighting the bacteria that cause body odor.

3. Natural Antiseptic

If you want to have a natural antiseptic, you can mix coconut oil and tea tree oil. Tea tree oil can be useful to treat minor cuts and lesions.

4. Speeds Wound Healing

Tea tree essential oil can increase white blood cell activity and help speed wound healing by relieving inflammation.

5. Relieves Acne

According to research, tea tree essential oil is useful in reducing skin lesions, scars and acne.

6. Anti-fungal Medication

Also, this oil is useful in fighting with fungal nail infections and is often used as an antifungal remedy.

7. Fights Bad Breath

If you want to fight bad breath, tea tree essential oil can be mixed with water for creating a useful, natural mouthwash.

8. Relieves Inflammation

If you have insect bites or dermatitis, tea tree essential oil can be an effective remedy for you.

9. Reduce Dandruff

This study confirms that tea tree oil may be useful in reducing the severity of dandruff.

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Disadvantages of eating only fruits and vegetables

You can't eat them on their own.

Fruit and vegetables are extremely healthy. The fiber keeps your digestive system in check, cleans out toxins and feeds good gut bacteria. Spinach, lettuce, blueberries, peaches, bananas, lemons, grapes, and avocado are super foods.

These plant foods have almost all of the vitamins, minerals, electrolytes, antioxidants and other plant compounds that you need to be healthy.

In fact, a fruit-only diet helps you to lose unhealthy weight in a matter of days. Any balanced diet is incomplete without fruit and vegetables. They are the opposite of junk food.

There isn't a single food that you can eat outside of moderation, though. Even too much water will damage your health. Green leafy vegetables like bok choy and even fruit salad have their own disadvantages if you eat too much of them.

If fruit and vegetables are so good for you, how can they damage your health if you eat too much of them? Is your health negatively affected when you don't balance fruit and vegetables with other healthy food?

Disadvantages of eating only fruits and vegetables

1. Low in fat, protein, iron and zinc

2. Low in calories

3. Decreases appetite

4. Digestive issues like diarrhea, bloating and gas

5. Should not be eaten before, during or after exercise

6. Limited mineral (calcium and iron) absorption

7. Risk of disease contamination and pesticide residues

8. Increased risk of kidney stones

Eat other foods for balance.

1. Low in fat, protein, iron and zinc

Fruit and vegetables are low in fat

You need 44 - 77 grams of fat per day. 

That equates to 13.3 kilograms (or over 29 pounds) of bananas, 26 kilograms (or over 57 pounds) of apples, 49 kilograms (over 108 pounds) of potatoes, or over 18 kilograms (over 39 pounds) of carrots. This would be needed to reach the bare minimum of 44 grams of fat.

Compare that to less than 83 grams (under 3 ounces) of nuts, 414 grams (under 15 ounces) of eggs, or 327 grams (under 12 ounces) of salmon.

It is clear to see that you will run into a fat deficiency if you eat fruit and vegetables without another good source of fat.

Fat deficiency can lead to the following health problems:

1. Hunger

2. Dry skin

3. Hormonal imbalances

4. Poor temperature regulation

5. Extreme mental fatigue

6. Mental decline

7. Depression

Eat enough fat every day.

Low in protein

You have a minimum requirement of 46 - 56 grams of protein per day.

That equates to 4.6 kilograms (over 10 pounds) of bananas, 17 kilograms (over 37 pounds) of apples, 2.2 kilograms (over 4 pounds) of potatoes or more than 4.4 kilograms (over 9 pounds) of carrots. This is the bare minimum of protein intake per day.

Compare that to 220 grams (under 8 ounces) of nuts, 365 grams (under 13 ounces) of eggs or 225 grams (under 8 ounces) of salmon.

Protein deficiency can lead to:

1. Edema (swollen, puffy skin)
2. Fatty liver
3. Brittle skin, hair and nails
4. Muscle loss and muscle weakness
5. Bone fractures
6. Stunted growth
7. Increased frequency and severity of infections
8. Increased appetite (despite increased food intake)

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Low in iron and zinc

Key minerals like iron and zinc are extremely important for your overall health. They are most common in protein-rich foods like meat, fish, eggs, dairy, nuts, beans, legumes, seeds and lentils. Notice that fruit and vegetables are not the best sources of iron and zinc.

Iron deficiency can lead to:

1. Extreme tiredness and fatigue

2. Paleness

3. Shortness of breath

4. Headaches and dizziness

5. Heart palpitations

6. Skin and hair issues

7. Tongue and mouth issues

8. Restless legs

9. Brittle, spoon-shaped nails

10. Unusual cravings

11. Anxiety

12. Cold hands and feet

13. Frequent infections

Eat enough protein-rich food.

Zinc deficiency can lead to:

1. Growth retardation

2. Loss of appetite

3. Impaired immune function

4. Hair loss

5. Diarrhea

6. Delayed sexual maturation

7. Impotence

8. Eye and skin diseases

Get enough zinc.

2. Low in calories

Fruit and vegetables are surprisingly low in calories. This is great for people who need to massively reduce their caloric intake, but it isn't so good for a healthy, long term diet.

A healthy individual should eat around 1 600 - 3 000 calories per day.

Bananas are 75% water. Apples are 86% water. Potatoes are 79% water. Carrots are 88% water. This doesn't leave much room for calories.

Severe calorie restriction can lead to:

1. Weak bones

2. Low metabolism

3. Moodiness and depression

4. Infertility

5. Weight gain

6. Low energy levels

7. Weak immune system

8. Mental decline

9. Lack of motivation

10. Constant hunger cravings

11. Addictive behavior

12. Hormonal imbalances

13. Overall weakness

Eat enough calories.

3. Fruit and vegetables decrease appetite

If you eat too many calories every day (as most of us do), fruit and vegetables can help. They will decrease your appetite. If you eat too many of them (and not enough of other foods), though, you risk decreasing your appetite too much.

This will make it harder to stomach the idea of food.

Fruit and vegetables decrease appetite because of their high water and fiber content. Fiber cannot be digested. Your digestive system takes a long time to process fiber. The high water content adds a lot of nutrient-free bulk to the hard-to-digest fiber. This keeps your digestive busy.

You won't feel hungry for food because your digestive system will still be busy processing your last meal. This is why fruit and vegetables lead to such rapid weight loss.

Never overdo it.

4. Fruit and vegetables can cause digestive issues like diarrhea, bloating and gas

This is especially true if you eat a lot a fruit and vegetables at once after you've avoided them for a long period of time.

We've already discussed how fruit and vegetables are harder for your digestive system to process than unhealthy, processed food. You can run into digestive issues if your digestive system isn't adept at digesting the fiber in fruit and vegetables. This can lead to bloating, diarrhea and gas.

The solution is quite simple. Eat less fruit and vegetables, but eat them consistently, so that your digestive system can to adapt to the new food.

Look after your digestive health.

5. Fruit and vegetables should not be eaten before, during or after exercise

This point relates very closely to the last two points. Your digestive system works hard to process the fiber in fruit and vegetables. This requires blood flow.

The fact that blood redirects to the digestive system after eating food is the reason behind fatigue, sleepiness or lethargy after a large meal.

This will decrease energy levels and, therefore, exercise performance.

Opt for foods that give you quick energy and digest faster. This will give you immediate energy for your workout, sustainable energy during your workout and better recovery after your workout.

Timing is everything.

6. Fruit and vegetables limit mineral absorption

Important minerals include calcium, phosphorus, potassium, sulfur, sodium, chlorine, magnesium, iron, cobalt, copper, zinc, manganese, molybdenum, iodine, and selenium.

Oxalates are anti-nutrients that are found in plant foods. They block the absorption of minerals. Oxalates are very common in green leafy vegetables, other vegetables, fruit, cocoa, seeds and nuts. They bind to minerals and escort them out of the system via urination or defecation.

Your body makes oxalate on its own. Vitamin C is also converted into oxalate.

Spinach might be high in calcium, but the high oxalate content in spinach blocks the majority of the calcium from being absorbed.

This study found that when woman drank milk and ate spinach at the same time, the calcium from milk was absorbed without hindrance.

The point of this study is to show that while the oxalates in certain food might stop us from absorbing the minerals in that specific food; it won't stop us from absorbing the minerals from other foods.

To prevent nutrient deficiencies (and mineral deficiencies in this case), eat a variety of different foods so that your body can get all of the nutrients that it needs.

Strive for balance.

7. Risk of disease contamination and pesticide residues from fruit and vegetables

The fruit and vegetables themselves aren't the only things that increase the health risks associated with a fruit and vegetable-only diet.

Food-borne diseases spread most rapidly through fruit and vegetables. Bacteria, parasites, chemicals and viruses cause over 200 different diseases. This includes diarrhea and cancer (click the link for more information).

Healthy foods are good for our bodies, but they are good for germs as well. This is why healthy food is more likely to go off compared to unhealthy food. The wholesomeness of food directly impacts its germ-spreading potential.

Plants fight against harmful germs right from the time that their seeds germinate. This battle doesn't end after harvest time. Diseases have a chance to inhabit natural food along every step of the growing, harvesting, transportation, selling, buying and storage process.

Pesticides are used to try and negate some of the risks of disease, but the pesticides themselves can cause us harm (in the same way that they kill off germs).

Avoid this disadvantage of fruit and vegetables by cleaning all of your fresh produce regularly. Don't buy more than what you can eat before it starts to spoil.

Eat clean.

8. Risk of kidney stones from fruit and vegetables

This relates to the point about how fruit and vegetables may limit mineral absorption. Oxalates bind to minerals and escort them out of the body. Oxalates can bind to calcium, for example, to form calcium oxalate. They may also bind to iron to form iron oxalate.

When mineral oxalates aren't successfully eliminated thought defecation or urination, they can form kidney stones.

Oxalates and minerals are natural compounds - there is no need to try and avoid these things altogether. You are more likely to die from the absence of minerals than from kidney stones.

Oxalates are already present in the urinary tract. They usually remain dissolved and don't cause any issues. The problem comes in when they don't stay dissolved and therefore cause kidney stones.

In some cases, oxalates and minerals form crystals that turn into kidney stones. This usually happens when oxalates are high (and when urination frequency or volume is low).

80% of kidney stones come from calcium oxalate. A low-oxalate diet may help to prevent kidney stones.

The best advice to prevent a variety of health complications is to eat a variety of different foods. You can't rely on one type of food exclusively for the various reasons listed above. Stay Strong!

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Unhealthy eating habits causes and effects

Learn about unhealthy eating habits.

Unhealthy eating habits causes and effects

Causes of unhealthy eating habits

1. Mass availability of unhealthy food
2. Marketing and advertising by the junk food industry
3. Addictive ingredients which create cravings for unhealthy food
4. Modern culture is centered on unhealthy food
5. Children are encouraged to eat unhealthy food

Why is unhealthy eating so prevalent?

Effects of unhealthy eating habits

1. High sugar consumption leads to sugar addiction
2. Preservatives kill good gut bacteria
3. Flavor enhancers in junk food ruin your taste for healthy food
4. High carbohydrate and fat content leads to obesity
5. Heart disease, mental illness and other diseases are caused by unhealthy eating habits

The effects are deadly.

Causes of unhealthy eating habits

1. Mass availability of unhealthy food

One of the biggest reasons why unhealthy eating habits are so prevalent is the fact that unhealthy food is available almost everywhere.

People have access to processed food at every food shop at their schools, work places and transit spots. Fast food chains have a restaurant around every street corner.

A very small portion of these outlets will have healthy options like fruit, whole-wheat bread, organic food or additive-free foods available.

If the only choice that people have when they purchase food is an unhealthy food choice, that is the food that they are going to eat. If the only choice is a healthy one, they would make that choice instead.

Convenience effects choice.

2. Marketing and advertising by the junk food industry

More than half of all advertisements ever made are centered on unhealthy food and beverages.
Junk food, processed food and fast food companies benefit from advertising because their brand is strongly connected to their product.

This isn’t the case for healthy alternatives. If an apple farmer wanted to advertise his apples, it would be hard for him to differentiate his specific apples from an apple that is farmed somewhere else. This decreases the incentive for healthy food marketing.

We are what we think about. Companies wouldn’t spend millions of dollars on advertising if it didn’t work.

Mass media marketing has persuaded the market to indulge in unhealthy eating habits. Every advert strengthens this trend.

What you see becomes who you are.

3. Addictive ingredients which create cravings for unhealthy food

Sugar, sodium, artificial flavors, fun colors and artificial sweeteners (which are more addictive than cocaine) make unhealthy food addictive.

No addictive ingredients are added to natural, healthy food. Natural food is not designed to taste good. Plants and animals are designed for their own survival – not how good they taste on a plate.
Unhealthy food is designed directly with taste in mind.

Companies with the most addictive products are rewarded with higher sales. Products that aren’t as enticing are replaced with more tempting products. This creates a steady rise in the desirability of unhealthy eating habits.

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4. Modern culture is centered on unhealthy food

The national foods of America are hamburgers, brownies and apple pie. Sporting events are synonymous with hot dogs and beer. Holidays and family events are centered on foods that make everybody gain weight at the end of the year. Birthdays are connected to cakes, sweets, pop and alcohol for adults.

It is considered normal for people to eat unhealthy food all of the time. We eat unhealthy whenever we are together – it has become a part of our everyday culture.

Imagine how weird it would be to follow a strict healthy diet on Thanksgiving or Christmas day. It’s not the holiday that’s the problem – it is the unhealthy culture that we’ve established around it.

People impact people.

5. Children are encouraged to eat unhealthy food

Our inclination to eat unhealthy food starts long before we can make our own decisions. It might be considered abuse if we refused to allow our children to have sweets and candy from their first birthday – long before they can tell the difference between right and wrong.

Schools make tasty, unhealthy food available along with a limited variety of bland, healthy food. This imprints the idea of unhealthy food being tasty and healthy food being bland.

It is easy to follow an unhealthy eating plan when that is all that we’ve done while growing up. We can’t expect people to live differently to the way we allowed them to live while they were growing up.

Teach children healthy habits.

Effects of unhealthy eating habits

1. High sugar consumption leads to sugar addiction

Your body’s primary source of energy is sugar. When we eat sugar, insulin is released to escort it out of the blood stream and into cells for energy. When the cells can’t take anymore sugar, insulin stores the excess sugar as fat.

When you eat too much sugar, too much insulin is released. This leads to the rapid storage of sugar as fat and a sharp drop in blood sugar. The sharp drop in blood sugar makes us crave more sugar to bring it back up.

Sugar is known to be extremely addictive. The more sugar a product contains the more addictive the product will be. Every time that you consume an unhealthy food with a lot of sugar, your sugar cravings will increase in intensity.

Excess sugar consumption from sugar addiction caused by unhealthy eating leads to:

1. Weight gain
2. Heart disease
3. Acne
4. Hormonal imbalances
5. Diabetes
6. Cancer
7. Depression
8. Accelerated aging
9. Low energy
10. Fatty liver disease

Avoid excess sugar.

2. Preservatives kill off good gut bacteria

Preservatives keep processed food from going bad. That’s why unhealthy food tends to last a lot longer than healthy food. The preservatives are harmful to us in the same way that they are harmful to germs. They just take longer to kill us because we are much larger than germs.

Good gut bacteria are extremely important for your health. They are one of the 7 essential things that you need to be healthy.

Everything that you eat affects your gut – either positively or negatively. Healthy food feeds the bacteria that boost your immune system, produce important nutrients and hormones, destroy toxins and fight against bad gut bacteria.

Good gut bacteria feed on the fiber from plant food. Bad gut bacteria feed on sugar and human flesh. Preservatives in unhealthy food kill good bacteria, but the sugar in unhealthy food feeds bad gut bacteria.

Unhealthy food promotes the growth of bad gut bacteria that can cause infections, produce inflammation, kill good bacteria and encourage metabolic syndrome.

Choose your fuel.

3. Flavor enhancers in junk food ruin your taste for healthy food

Have you ever noticed that the more unhealthy food you eat the more of it you want to eat?

Unhealthy food decreases the desirability of healthy food because natural food doesn’t have the same things as processed food.

It is similar to addiction. When you get used to eating food with the flavor enhancers that are found in almost all junk food, everything that doesn’t have these flavor enhancers will taste bland.

You are an accumulation of what you do regularly. If you eat unhealthy food all of the time, you will crave unhealthy food all of the time. When you eat healthy, you will crave healthy food.

Continuation leads to enjoyment.

4. High carbohydrate and fat content leads to obesity

Unhealthy food is sometimes referred to as empty calories.

That means that the energy value of food (the parts of food that can be stored as fat) far outweigh the nutritional value of food (the micro nutrients like vitamins, electrolytes, minerals, trace elements, fiber and antioxidants).

A food that is considered an empty calorie will give your body fuel for fat without the nutrients that it actually needs.

Healthy food like spinach and lettuce have almost all of the micro nutrients that you need – with close to zero nutrients that can be stored as fat. In fact, one of the disadvantages of leafy greens like bok choy (or even a fruit salad) is the fact that they can lead to rapid weight loss because they don’t have many calories compared to the nutrients that they provide.

This is why a diet that relies exclusively on fruit can lead to massive weight loss in a matter of days.

Ingredients matter.

5. Heart disease, mental illness and other diseases caused by unhealthy eating habits

Unhealthy food does not have enough micro nutrients like vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and fiber.

You need vitamins to perform important bodily functions. Your body will break down when it doesn’t have enough of these vitamins. These can lead to cancer, eye problems, skin diseases, mental decline, and inability to remove toxins, heart disease and early death.

Minerals, antioxidants and fiber are just as important.

Stay Strong!

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Disadvantages of fruit salad

You can't have as much as you want.

Many people use the fruit weight loss diet to lose a lot of weight in a short period of time, but run into health issues soon afterwards.

Fruit salad is by no means bad for you - but there are health consequences if you eat too much of it (just like anything else). Practice moderation for the following reasons.

Disadvantages of fruit salad

1. Fruit is high in sugar
2. There isn't enough protein, iron, zinc or calories in fruit
3. Food-borne illnesses spread easily through fruit
4. Fruit can greatly reduce appetite in people with anorexia
5. May cause diarrhea, bloating, gas and other digestive issues

Practice moderation with everything.

1. Fruit is high in sugar

Dietary guidelines say that you should limit sugar consumption to 200 calories or 12 teaspoons (50 grams or 1.8 ounces) on a 2 000 calorie diet per day.

Let's simplify that to 50 grams for the sake of fruit comparison. 

A medium apple contains about 18.9 grams of sugar. A medium banana contains about 14.4 grams of sugar. Your fruit salad probably has 5 different fruit (with an average of 16.6 grams of sugar per fruit). You would therefore consume 83 grams of sugar.

That's 66% above your maximum daily recommended limit (from a single fruit salad)!

You should still eat at least 5 fruit and vegetables a day

You must eat at least 5 fruit and vegetables every day. The fiber prevents the sugar from destroying your blood sugar levels. Fiber feeds the good gut bacteria that keep you healthy.

The numbers aren't meant to scare you off from eating fruit and vegetables. The point is you can't eat as much as you want because it is 'healthy'.

You can overdo anything, even water. Practice moderation and variety for optimum health.

If you eat too much 'healthy food' like fruit salad and fewer other healthy foods like legumes, whole grains, animal products; you can run into severe nutrient deficiencies (more on that below).

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2. Fruit salad is low in protein, iron, zinc and calories

These important nutrients come from foods that are high in protein. Fruit salad is not one of them.

Animal products like eggs, dairy, meat, fish and seafood along with plant proteins like whole grains, nuts, seeds, legumes and lentils are good sources of these nutrients.

Fruit are not good sources of these nutrients. If you eat too many fruit and too little of these nutrients, you risk nutrient deficiency - which can lead to a whole array of health issues.

One billion people worldwide don't get enough protein. Ten million people are iron deficient in the US alone. Over one billion people worldwide are deficient in zinc.

Eat more protein-rich food at every meal if you want to avoid one of these deficiencies. A fruit salad might have a ton of their own essential nutrients; but definitely not enough of protein, iron, zinc or calories.

What happens if I don't eat enough protein-rich food?

Protein deficiency can lead to muscle wasting, poor wound healing, recurring infections, low energy, pale skin, brittle hair and nails, dry and itchy skin and constant hunger cravings.

Iron deficiency can lead to an overall pale or whitened appearance, lack of energy, low immune system, impaired brain function, shortness of breath, a fast heartbeat, poor blood circulation (like cold hands and feet), brittle hair and nails, hair loss, mouth and tongue sores and difficulty swallowing.

Zinc deficiency can lead to a low immune system, loss of appetite, hair loss, diarrhea, impotence, skin lesions, longer healing time (cuts take abnormally long to heal), lethargy and unexpected weight changes.

Calorie deficiency (not getting enough calories or not eating enough calorie-dense food) can lead to a slow metabolism, decreased energy, mental decline, decreased physical performance, emotional distress and lack of motivation, extra fat stores, weak immune system, hormonal imbalances, inability to sleep properly and overall weakness.

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3. Diseases spread through plant foods like fruit

Plant products are one of the biggest mediums for the spread of diseases. One of the advantages of processed food is the fact that it can last almost indefinitely without going bad.

Healthy, natural food carries the risk of disease contamination because germs thrive on them just as much as our bodies do.

One of the simplest ways to know what is healthy or unhealthy is to check how long a food item lasts before getting spoiled. The longer it takes before going off, the worse it is for your health.

You can't keep a fruit salad in the fringe for longer than a day. If you store fruit salad for longer than that, you put your health (and you family's health) at risk.

Place extra fruit salad portions in the freezer to prolong its lifespan. Wash all fruit and vegetables before you cook them or eat them.

Respect the cycle of nature.

4. Fruit can greatly reduce appetite in people with anorexia

Fruit is full of fiber and water. Fiber locks the nutrients away and prolongs the amount of time that it takes for your body to absorb the nutrients. Water adds calorie-free bulk and keeps your digestive system full until your body can get to the nutrients in the fiber.

This will decrease appetite and prolong the amount of time that it takes before you are hungry for your next meal.

If you are overweight and want to cut down on your daily caloric intake, this is a good thing. If you struggle to eat enough food already, however, this can be a bad thing.

Plant foods lead to weight loss

This is why many people run into extreme weight loss or nutrient deficiencies when they start following a plant-only diet. You can definitely thrive off a plant-only diet - just balance it out with protein-rich food like nuts, seeds, lentils, legumes and beans.

Eat more natural food like fruit, vegetables and leafy greens like spinach and lettuce if you want to decrease your appetite and lose weight. 

You'd need to eat less of these foods and focus on more nutrient-dense food if you need to put on weight.

There are other great things that you can do to put on weight if you are too skinny or underweight. Eat more frequently, have a banana shake, increase protein consumption, stay hydrated and focus on strength training to curb muscle loss.

Eat according to your needs.

5. Fruit salad may cause diarrhea, bloating, gas and other digestive issues

Bad gut bacteria feed on the added sugar that is found in junk food. Good gut bacteria feed on the plant compounds (called polyphenols) that are found in natural plant foods like tea, fruit, vegetables, herbs and spices.

Gut bacteria eat the parts of food that we can't digest (fiber) and turn them into useful nutrients and hormones. Did you know that most of your serotonin (happy hormone) is made by gut bacteria?

Every person's gut bacteria profile looks completely different. It is as unique as a fingerprint. Junk food encourages the growth of bad gut bacteria. Healthy food encourages the growth of good gut bacteria.

Gas and bloating from gut bacteria

Gut bacteria produce gas as a by-product of food digestion. This is why it is completely natural for everybody to fart from time to time. This is more likely to occur when you eat foods that you don't usually eat because new bacteria need to colonize your gut to digest the foreign food. This leads to flatulence.

You will notice, for example, that you fart more if you haven't eaten beans for a long time. You will fart less as your digestive system grows accustomed to the new food.

Since gut bacteria eat the fibrous parts of plant foods, you can expect gas when you eat fiber-rich foods like fruit. You will produce more gas if you aren't used to eating as much fruit as there is in a fruit salad. The excess gas can also lead to pain and bloating.

If your digestive system is not accustomed to digesting so much fruit, you may also experience other digestive issues like diarrhea or constipation as well.

Eat a smaller quantity of fruit salad at first to give your digestive system time to adapt if you suffer from digestive issues brought on by fruit salad.

Start small.

The disadvantages of fruit salad might sound numerous after reading this article. Fruit salad is very good for you because it contains fiber, vitamins and minerals. Eat it in moderation and balance it out with other healthy food to stay as healthy as possible. Stay Strong!

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Coronavirus Quarantine exercise routine

Use this time to improve your health.

Coronavirus has affected us all

The global Coronavirus pandemic has affected us all in at least one way or another at this point. Schools have shut down and many are working from home if you are lucky enough to work at all.

It seems like almost overnight our entire society has nearly come to a screeching halt. Governments the world over are shutting down non-essential businesses like beauty salons and gyms. They ask the public to self-quarantine in an effort to limit the transmission of the virus.

With all this newfound free time on our hands, many of us are left to wonder what to do with ourselves. With no gyms to go to, do we simply succumb to the thought of binge-watching Netflix and feeding our worries and fears of the situation with comfort food?

Nobody expected things to turn out like this

For most of us, this situation is like nothing we have ever expected to deal with - especially so quickly. The health and economic ramifications are undoubtedly weighing heavy on everyone’s minds as thoughts of the future become rather bleak among economic crashes and overloaded hospitals.

Now more than ever I believe that it is important for us to do everything that we can to maintain our fitness goals. Not just for the obvious health benefits, but for our own mental and emotional health as well. The mental and emotional ramifications of this pandemic are just as important to keep in mind as the economic and health impacts.

Use exercise to keep your spirits (and immune system) up

Physical exercise has long been proven to be a natural antidepressant. Put together a simple home routine. It could be all that is needed to help make the dark days a little brighter. Many of us are simply not used to putting together these kinds of routines - or being this limited in workout choices - so I thought that I would put together a few tips and tricks to help you stay active and healthy while we are all stuck inside.

Coronavirus Quarantine exercise routine

1. Do 10 burpees.
2. Do 10 push-ups.
3. Do 10 sit-ups.
4. Do 10 squats.
5. Rest for 30 - 45 seconds and repeat 3-5 times.

1. Burpees

I love burpees… (Said no one ever)

I’ve been in and around the fitness world for a long time, and I have yet to find someone who actually enjoys adding burpees to their routine. The truth of the matter is that this exercise is undoubtedly one of the most effective at-home exercises that you can possibly do. 

It combines compound movements that activate a large majority of your major muscle groups. This annoyingly effective exercise should be on the top of everyone’s at home workout list. 

Now for some good news: You don’t have to do 100 of them to be effective. 

Start with a number that challenges you and then work up from there. 10 is always a good round number to start with, but this number could go up or down depending on your fitness level.

2. Push-ups

Being a veteran of the U.S. Army, I have spent my fair share of time on the ground pumping out push-up after push-up. This is an Army drill sergeants go to form of 'remedial discipline' for as long as anyone can remember.

This is good reason too: The entire idea behind military training is to build you into a hard, strong, determined soldier - and very few activities build your strength and endurance better than a simple push-up.

As with burpees, you don’t need to do crazy numbers of them. Simply start with a number that challenges you and build up from there.

3. Sit-ups

A strong core is central to overall strength. Whether you realize it or not, nearly every movement that you make engages and emanates from your core - whether it is from your abs or lower back.

A strong, healthy core is vital to overall health and the fitness of your entire body. Luckily you do not need special equipment of any kind to put together a solid core exercise list. Sit-ups and/or crunches are the most popular.

They are simple, effective, and you can do them nearly anywhere.

4. Air Squats

If burpees are king, air squats are queen in the at-home workout list.

They need no special equipment. Air squats are one of the best home-based exercises you can do to keep those extra pounds from piling up and get your heart rate going.

Your legs are the single biggest muscle group in your body, so they will require the most calories to fuel movement.

This simple fact makes air squats high on the list for most bang for your buck.

Put it all together

To get the most out of your home workouts, put your routine together in the most effective manner possible.

Circuit training is one extremely easy and effective way to put all of your at-home exercises together in a way that maximizes their efficiency.

Simply move from one exercise to the next without resting till you have done one set of each of them.

Take a short, 30-45 second break and then do it again. Repeat this 3 to 5 times in a row and you’ve got it.

This is a quick and effective home workout that you can do every day to help keep you in shape - as well as fight off those quarantine blues.

Conclusion

While things may seem bleak in the world right now, it is important not to let ourselves fall into a funk.

By simply taking 15 to 30 minutes a day to give our bodies some physical exercises we are doing a lot to not only maintain our physical bodies, but our minds and emotions as well.

However as I’ve said several times before in previous articles, exercise is only part of the battle.

With so much time on our hands it is even more important we keep a close eye on our diet - especially our portion control.

Boredom eating and comfort eating become a serious problem when you’re just sitting around trying to kill time.

After you’ve done your physical workout, try finding yourself a hobby that you can do from home that reduces your couch time and engages your mind.

Read a book or learn a skill. Take a short online class that helps you learn something that you can use to better yourself and your life after these hard times pass.

Keep your mind active and you will go a long way. Stay away from those constant snack foods. With time all of this will pass and life will go back to normal.

Until then it is on us to do anything that we can to keep ourselves healthy and sharp so that when life returns to normal we will be ready for everything that follows.

About the Author

J.P. Wells has spent the last 13 years of his life learning about and pursuing a healthy and active lifestyle. After sustaining a life-changing injury during his time serving in the United States Military, he dedicated his time to learning, and researching ways to heal and re-build his body to get back to the active lifestyle he grew up loving.

Meet the author.

On his blog J.P. Wells Fitness, J.P. Wells shares his knowledge, and passions he has come to learn from the fitness industry, and fitness culture.

He understands that health and fitness is not just a one-time choice, but a lifestyle. Success in your goals is not made up of large single decisions, but rather a series of small choices made well throughout every day.

Check him out on Facebook or Twitter.

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Fat loss diet plan for male vegetarian

Eat right for weight loss.

Fat loss diet plan for male vegetarian

1. Start you day right with a full glass of water and a cup of green tea
2. Eat a salad of leafy green vegetables to curb your appetite for the rest of the day
3. Focus on healthy fats and balanced plant protein for lunch and dinner
4. Avoid processed food, sugar and sweeteners
5. Have some healthy snacks on hand
6. Don't eat the same thing every day

Diet summary

1. Start your day right with a full glass of water and a cup of green tea

Drink water first thing in the morning for energy, health and weight loss

Most people don't drink enough water. Dehydration can lead to weight gain. Start your day off with a fresh glass of water before you eat or drink anything. This healthy habit will help your body to detoxify after a long night's rest.

New wakeful chemicals like cortisol and adrenaline need to circulate the body while sleepy chemicals like melatonin need to cleared away. This explains why water can help you to wake up so well. Don't rely on caffeine, sugar or other unnatural substances to wake up - Let your body learn to do it on its own.

Green tea as a healthy alternative to coffee

When you drink less caffeine, you teach your body to make its own energy instead of relying on an outside substance. This can lead to an increase in energy. Increased energy helps with weight loss because a higher metabolism burns fat.

Green tea has much less caffeine than coffee. This will still give you the caffeine that you want, but at a less additive amount.

The benefits of green tea are amazing. It is full of antioxidants, kills bad gut bacteria, improves oral health, improves focus and mood and encourages the growth of good gut bacteria.

Simply swapping out your first cup of coffee for green tea will help you to get some of these health benefits.

Plain water is good for you.

2. Eat a salad of green leafy vegetables to curb appetite

Green leafy vegetables like spinach, lettuce and bok choy are extremely good for you. They contain almost all of the nutrients that you need like vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, fiber and other important plant compounds.

One of the disadvantages of leafy vegetables is the fact that they don't contain a lot of carbohydrates, protein or fat. Another disadvantage is the fact that greens fill your digestive system with so much hard-to-digest fiber that it takes a long time before you feel hungry again. This means that they should be limited by people who struggle to eat enough.

If your goal is weight loss, these disadvantages become advantages. Your appetite will decrease and the amount of nutrients that can turn into fat will decrease when you eat a lot of green leafy vegetables.

Eat them as part of your first meal so that you will feel satisfied and eat less food throughout the rest of the day. It's an easy hack to reduce your food intake without going through hunger.

Add healthy lemon juice or black pepper to your leafy greens if you struggle with the lack of taste. Don't worry if you don't enjoy them at first - you'll get used to them very quickly if you eat them every day.

Leafy greens are great for weight loss.

3. Focus on healthy fats and balanced plant protein for lunch and dinner

Fruit and vegetables have almost all of the micro nutrients that you need. These nutrients include vitamins, minerals, fiber, water, antioxidants and plant compounds.

There are some nutrients; however, that plant food tends to lack in general. These nutrients include protein (and the amino acids that come from protein), fats (and the essential oils like Omega 3 that fats contain), and other minerals that are most commonly found in animal products like iron and zinc.

Many vegetarians experience deficiencies in these nutrients when they follow the vegetarian diet for a long time. Protein deficiency is one of the main reasons why I don't recommend a fruit-only diet.

The good news is that you can get these nutrients from plant foods - you just need to make sure that you eat the right foods to do so.

Healthy fats

You can find plenty of healthy fats in avocados, nuts and seeds. Eat enough of these foods to avoid essential nutrient deficiencies.

Omega 3 essential fatty acids for example are important for optimal heart health, brain function, hormone regulation and cardiovascular stability. You can find this nutrient in avocados, nuts and flax seeds.

Zinc and iron

Zinc and iron come from animal foods predominantly. You can find these precious minerals in foods that have protein. Most of the vegetarian-approved, high-protein foods listed below will have enough iron and zinc if you eat enough of them regularly.

Whole grains, beans, nuts and peas are great sources of zinc.

Beans, lentils, nuts, leafy greens and whole grains are great sources of iron.

Protein

Plants typically don't have a lot of protein. Raw plant foods are usually high in fiber and help to decrease your appetite. This can lead to a protein deficiency. It is important that you eat enough of the plant foods that have protein so that your body has all of the nutrients that it needs.

Good protein sources for vegetarians

Plant sources of protein include the following:

1. Nuts
2. Nut butters and nut milks
3. Seeds
4. Lentils
5. Legumes
6. Whole grains
7. Beans
8. Peanuts
9. Oats
10. Peas
11. Chickpeas
12. Soy (tempeh and tofu)
13. Quinoa

Do not eat one or two of these foods exclusively. Eat a variety because a lot of them contain incomplete protein. Protein breaks down into amino acids in the gut. Your body takes these amino acids from the blood stream and combines them to form new protein in cell tissue. Most plant sources of protein don't have all of the amino acids that your body needs to form a new protein.

Brown rice and beans, or whole grains and nut butters, form a complete protein when you combine them. You will get all of the amino acids to form new protein when you eat a variety of the foods listed above.

Eat this to avoid nutrient deficiencies.

4. Avoid processed food, sugar and sweeteners

Many people think that they will lose weight if they cut out all animal sources of food. This will only help you to lose weight if you avoid other processed food as well. Processed food, sugar and sweeteners lead to weight gain.

Junk food has a large number of disadvantages. It is designed to make you eat as much as possible. Processed food contains addictive substances like sugar, artificial flavor enhancers, sodium and other chemicals. They contain large amounts of the macro nutrients carbohydrates and fats. These nutrients convert into fat very easily. Foods that turn into fat easily increase your appetite because they don't turn into energy instead of storage.

Sugar increases insulin. Insulin reduces blood sugar by storing it as fat. This will reduces the sugar that your body actually burns for energy before your next meal.

Artificial sweeteners make you gain weight - possibly more than sugar. They make you addicted to sweetness (A study, in the link above, found that artificial sweeteners are more addictive than cocaine). Sweeteners raise your insulin (the fat creation hormone) levels.

Man-made foods are made to maximize sales. They don't contain the nutrients that we need - they rather contain the nutrients that make us eat more of their produces.

Choose natural food over processed food. Nature has already given us all of the nutrients that we need to stay healthy.

Natural food is healthy.

5. Have some healthy snacks on hand

Fat loss for vegetarian males is about more than calorie restriction. You don't need to starve yourself to lose weight. Natural plant food will automatically satisfy your hunger cravings and give your body the nutrients that it needs. When your body has the nutrients that it needs, it won't crave more food.

Deficiencies (from processed food or junk food) cause an increase in appetite. The fiber, vitamins and other nutrients in natural food will satisfy you instead.

Hunger and food cravings lead to unhealthy food choices. We make unhealthy decisions when we are caught off guard.

I used to struggle to avoid sugary drinks when I visited family. It was easier for me to avoid the temptation when I carried a water bottle with me wherever I went.

Make sure that you have healthy snacks on hand to avoid falling prey to temptation. Keep a bag of nuts with you or pack a healthy lunch ahead of time. Have some frozen dinners in the freezer for times when you don't feel like cooking.

Plan ahead of time

6. Don't eat the same thing every day

We like to over-simplify things. Simplicity helps us to achieve success.

The problem with simplicity, when it comes to nutrition, is that our bodies need a whole range of different nutrients.

We can keep things simple by eliminating processed food and opting for nothing but natural, whole food. You can't simplify things by eating from limited food choices exclusively. This will lead to nutrient deficiencies.

Our bodies are good at storing excess nutrients to use later when there isn't enough of it. When we eat the same thing every day, our bodies never get to burn through the nutrients that it stored and it never gets to acquire new nutrients that our current diet lacks.

Protein, vitamins, fats and minerals like iron are good examples. You get certain amino acids from whole grains. Other amino acids are found in nuts. You can't have one instead of the other. If you ate a lot of nuts yesterday, eat more whole grains and seeds today.

This will help to keep things interesting as well.

Change can be healthy.

Male vegetarian weight loss diet chart

1) Wake up: Drink water - and then green tea

2) First meal: Leafy green vegetables

3) Lunch and dinner: Healthy fats and whole protein

Notes

1) Avoid processed food, sugar and sweeteners

2) Have healthy snacks on hand

3) Eat different foods for nutritional variety

Save or share this image.

Conclusion

You can lose weight as a male vegetarian. Focus on healthy, natural food and stay away from the unhealthy, processed food that leads to weight gain. 

Leave me a comment if you are inspired to live healthy because of this article. Share it with someone that you think will benefit from this diet. Always consult your medical practitioner before you embark on any new eating plan. Stay Strong!

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