Probiotics and Superfoods

Our bodies are absolutely incredible and extremely complicated machines, and most of us know only the basics about how we function and what signs we give when there might be a problem. Some things are obvious. We know when we can’t eat or breathe or if we have pain or irregular functioning of the bowels or mind. We know when we get a cold or a fever. We get our annual check-ups that make the primary list of sexual health, dental, eyes and heart which often comes with a smattering of blood tests for cholesterol, blood pressure and possibly hormones. We manage our weight, eat moderately healthy and try to fit in some exercise. We may even take a multi-vitamin. Even so, how healthy are we? Here are five things that may not be on your health radar, but they should be! Sleep How you sleep is a really good indicator for what’s going on in your mind, hormones and adrenal glands. If you’re an insomniac, fitful sleeper or heavily snore, it may be worth paying attention.  If your snoring is waking the house, you may want to check for sleep apnea and monitor your sleep cycles. Try using one of the many sleep apps or sleep tracking settings on your fitness watch or your phone to give you a general look at your sleep/wake cycles. There are two ways your body triggers sleep patterns, circadian rhythm and homeostasis. Circadian rhythm can be affected by hormone changes, and homeostasis by medicines or medical conditions, certain foods and most importantly stress. If your body stays in the fight or flight response, you’re not going to get the deep REM sleep needed to heal and repair. To understand a bit more about sleep cycles and your health check out “The Power of Beauty Sleep.” To get a better night’s rest, try Terra Origin’s Healthy Sleep supplement, turn off electronics a couple hours before bed and consider speaking to your primary care physician if your inability to get into deep sleep continues. Fatigue Chronic daily exhaustion is a very common sign of a health condition. It can certainly be carried over from not getting enough deep sleep, making it an important indicator for the quality of sleep you get each night. It is also a prime factor in stress and anxiety meaning you’re always in fight or flight mode, and your body is staying in a constant state of tension. This can cause inflammation, weakened immune responses and a whole host of other problems. Fatigue is also the body’s way of saying something is off, and if sleep isn’t the issue, it may be a hormonal imbalance from the thyroid or adrenal glands. Try to limit caffeine, stress and stimulants as much as possible and take up holistic practices to slow the body and mind. Check out Terra Origin’s Healthy Inner Balance and more tips in “The Benefits of Meditation and Healthy Inner Balance.” Weight Distribution Though we do our best to be fit and trim, some of us still carry those extra pounds, but where we carry them can say a lot about our health. You’ve heard different body types compared to apples or pears before, meaning some people are round in the middle while others are more hour-glass shaped and carry their weight in the hips and thighs. Those who carry their weight around their abdomen have more fatty tissues around their organs. This can make a difference in your risk of coronary heart disease and Type II diabetes. Elimination What comes out of you may not be your favorite topic to discuss, but it can tell you a lot about your current health. When it comes to elimination, you want to note frequency, ease or discomfort, color and with bowel movements, shape and size. Urination is most common 6 – 8 times a day or up to 10 times, but highly depends on how much fluids you drink, which are diuretics like coffee or alcohol and whether you take any medications that may affect your urine. It should always be easy and pain free, and most importantly, it should be nearly clear. The darker your urine, the more the body is dehydrated, and water is essential to your body and health! As for your bowels, they should move at least once a day and ideally after every meal. Every time you eat, healthy digestion activates the gastro-colic reflex which works to eliminate toxins and waste from the body. The longer your bowels hold on to this waste, the more of it that can seep through the digestive linings and into the blood stream. Constipation, especially chronic, can cause numerous diseases from over-toxifying the body. As for shape, color and size, you can refer to the Bristol stool scale. Be sure to eat plenty of fiber and add things like Terra Origin’s Green Superfoods Powders to your daily diet. Skin Your skin is the largest and most exposed organ on your body, and it has a lot to say! Sudden changes in your skin tone, texture or comfort can be warning signs for what’s happening on the inside. If you constantly find yourself scratching, you may have allergies or a skin condition like eczema, or it can be a warning sign for an unhealthy liver. If your lips are always dry and tend to crack at the corners, you may be dehydrated or be lacking in vitamin B12 which affects nerves, cells, DNA and helps to prevent anemia. If you find yourself in constant break outs, acne or rashes, your skin may be warning you of food allergies or product sensitivities or an overactive nervous system. If your skin begins to dry out for no reason, it can indicate type II diabetes or an underactive thyroid. It could also just need a good moisturizer. It’s important to take care of your skin so you can read it’s signals clearly. Consider a regime with a moisturizing cleanser, daily cream and supplements like any of Terra Origin’s Skin Boost products.

There is a lot to be said about coffee. We’ve been told it was bad for us. We’ve been told it was good for us. Some say to drink it but in moderation, others say to eliminate it completely. As with most things regarding our health, the truth is found in balance and knowing our individual chemistry. Let’s take a look at all the scientifically proven benefits of drinking coffee. An ordinary 8-ounce cup of coffee provides us with vitamins B1, B2, B3, B5, folate, manganese, potassium, magnesium and phosphorus! Most amounts are around 1-3% of our RDA, other than 11% of B2 and 6% of B5, but that’s only in one cup. And truthfully, how many coffee drinkers stop at one? Coffee is also very high in antioxidants. So much so that the average American coffee drinker gets more from their daily joe than their daily fruits and vegetables. Coffee also has disease fighting benefits. If your morning cup isn’t loaded with dairy, sugar and artificial flavors, coffee itself has been shown to lower your risk of developing type 2 diabetes by up to 23-67%. Most likely due to its high levels of antioxidants, coffee also protects the liver from Cirrhosis and cancer. Tests show that people who drank four or more cups a day reduced their risk for Cirrhosis by up to 84%. That’s not a reason to up your intake though. Keep reading to understand the need for moderation. A major player in coffee analysis is the caffeine. This is where we need to know the good and the bad. Coffee is a natural source of caffeine, so there is the first benefit. Studies have shown that this can energize your metabolism helping the body burn off more weight, so paired with an exercise regime, your fitness routine gets a major boost. The same stimulation affects your brain as well. There is a reason coffee has been the morning drink of choice for generations. Coffee actually blocks Adenosine, a hormone in the brain which promotes sleep, suppresses arousal and is a central nervous system depressant. This is needed for the body to rest, but that’s not what we want when starting our day! Coffee enhances brain activity and stimulates our systems to release norepinephrine and dopamine giving us energy and mental clarity. This is what gives you that burst of morning brain power, improving your mood and cognitive ability. This boost and release of dopamine is also why coffee has been noted as an antidepressant. Coffee’s stimulus on the brain has been shown to protect against Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s and age related neurodegenerative diseases. These are all great reasons to have your morning cup or two or four, but there are some downsides to this warm, roasted brew. Avid coffee drinkers are very familiar with the addictive side to the morning stimulant. Caffeine can become an energizer your body doesn’t like to live without causing severe migraines, adrenal fatigue, exhaustion, cranky attitudes and an inability to focus. The more we drink, the more we build up our resistance. So it is a good idea to slowly cut back, alternate your daily amount from one cup to your maximum and skip a day here and there when you can. Maybe on the weekend. Our body can also have a say in our coffee tolerance. We actually process caffeine quite differently due to a common genetic mutation. If caffeine makes you twitchy, anxious, paranoid or alters the rhythm of your heart beat, then you should probably avoid it. If that is not the case for you, then pay attention to changes after drinking a certain number of cups. It’s possible to have too much of a good thing, so if coffee is disrupting your sleep or giving you the sensations of a panic attack, you really need to cut back. Coffee’s benefits far outweigh the negatives, especially if your body tolerates caffeine well. It does so many things for your body that it is sure to make the list of superfoods, but for now take a look at how coffee can be on your fitness list. Whether you drink one cup or ten, we can all agree that at times a hot brew is the last thing we want. There are other ways to fill that coffee craving without grinding more beans. Terra Origin’s coffee flavored Healthy Greens Superfoods gives you all the benefits of another cup and so much more. It takes the superfood qualities of coffee bean powder and mixes it with other known health monsters like probiotics, enzymes, chlorella, spinach, kelp, turmeric, green tea and so much more. This is one mug you shouldn’t pass up!