Tag: healthy

Many of us are wondering how in the world it’s February already! We’re a month into our New Year’s Resolutions and we may have slipped a time or two — or three. But February is American Heart Month, and it’s a good time to rededicate yourself to a healthy 2013.

 

Heart disease is a serious problem, causing nearly a quarter of all deaths in the United States. Fortunately, many underlying causes of heart problems are preventable or reversible, which brings us back to those resolutions. If you haven’t already, resolve to have a healthy heart. And to help, we’d like to share with you a couple ways you can build and protect that most important muscle.

 

Physical activity is a crucial aspect of maintaining a healthy heart and aerobic exercise is particularly important. “Aerobic” literally means “living in air”, so what better way to practice this exercise than in the fresh ocean breeze. Standup Paddle Boarding (SUP) is one of our favorite ways to get a low-intensity cardio workout while enjoying the serenity of the water and warm rays of sunshine. Among many other physical benefits, SUP can help to decrease blood pressure, strengthen the heart, reduce stress and reduce the risk of diabetes.

 

Keeping your heart in shape can also be as simple as eating delicious, healthy food!  Here at SurfBerry, we have tasty sweet smoothies and juices that provide multiple nutritional benefits. Many of our smoothies and juices can provide you with your required daily serving of fruits and vegetables. Some of our core ingredients include spinach and bananas, sources of Omega-3 fatty acids and potassium respectively. Not only do these offerings boost energy for that SUP workout, many fruits and vegetables are proven to help prevent cardiovascular disease through their richness in fiber and antioxidants.

 

A happy heart is a healthy heart. For us, the desire to be healthy is a desire rooted in our passion for being able to enjoy this beautiful place we live in. Stress is known to have negative health impacts including high blood pressure and a weakened immune system.  For the sake of your New Year’s resolutions, American Heart Month and living life to the fullest, we invite you to visit us SurfBerry so that we can share the joys of living a heart-healthy life with you! Together we can enjoy the increased energy, health, and greater satisfaction provided to us by an afternoon on the waterways of Wrightsville Beach.

I’ve been hearing a lot about wheatgrass shots, but something about them always made me hesitate. It’s not the green color – I enjoy a good salad and broccoli is one of my favorite vegetables – and it’s not that I’m afraid of trying new things, but the idea of taking a shot of something with “grass” in the name brings to mind cows at pasture rather than a healthy boost for humans. Plus, I’m sensitive to gluten, and taking a shot of pure wheat sounds like a recipe for disaster.

My curiosity always wins out over any reservations I have about anything new, however, and with the amazing health benefits wheatgrass provides, it’s definitely something I’m going to have to check out. Tons of vitamins and goodies and nutrients to keep me healthy and strong this summer…the benefits are hard to pass up. Not only that, but wheatgrass is actually gluten free!

Wheatgrass has been around since the 1940s as a commercially available supplement, but research on it began in the 1920s after researchers found that cattle grazing on wheatgrass in spring had impressive improvements in health, including weight gain and increased milk and butter fat production. Agricultural chemist Dr. Charles Schnabel led initial research efforts, harvesting wheatgrass and mixing it with chicken feed. The hens Dr. Schnabel fed the wheatgrass to had a significant increase in egg production, some as much as 90%.

Wheatgrass benefits aren’t limited to livestock, however. Humans can get an amazing variety of nutrients, too.

As more and more research was conducted, wheatgrass was found to possess Vitamin D, A (thanks to the beta-carotenes), K, C (more than both oranges and carrots) and E. Wheatgrass also has a ton of chlorophyll, meaning that it has a high concentration of green pigmentation and its nutrients are heavily saturated.

What this means is that you don’t need to have a lot of wheatgrass in order to get all the benefits, and because wheatgrass is made from the grass of the wheat plant rather than its seeds, it’s gluten free – almost anyone can try it.

It has been said and proven by many people that wheatgrass can cure acne, lessen your chances of white hair, provide a body detoxification, and can even help you gain red blood cells. It is also said that the drinking this substance often can lessen your chances of getting cancer or other serious illnesses. The verdict is still out on a lot of these claims, but they’re creating enough buzz about wheatgrass that it’s worth trying at least once!