Is A Countertop Water Filter A Good Idea?

By Lucy Cho


A countertop water filter might be a great solution to concerns about quality and taste of the drinking water in your home. Like any other major home decision, pristine water purification should be carefully considered before making a final decision. There are advantages and disadvantages to every option available, so consider your needs and what would best fill those needs. A home water filtration system might be a really good choice for individuals that live in areas where water quality is generally poor or water contamination is frequent.

If you are considering a countertop water filter, ask yourself a couple of key questions. What are the options that I have? Are there other choices? What are the benefits to each option I am considering? What are the drawbacks? When you ask the right questions, you can find out if a water filtration system is right for your home and what type would work best for your needs.

Water filtration is all about choices. How the water is purified and what type of filtration makes the most sense for your situation. Common water purification methods include: distillation, ion exchange (also known as deionization), carbon filtering, ultrafiltration, reverse osmosis, and ultraviolet radiation. Each method purifies water differently, so it is important to know what you are looking for. There are also unique advantages and disadvantages to each type of water purification. What remains constant in each method is seeking for the most pristine water purification possible with the least amount of disadvantages. What works for you may be a countertop water filter and it may not be. It may be distillation and it may not be. It's about finding what works for you and gives you the results you were seeking.

One of the great things that water filtrations provides is that it eliminates the chlorine that would otherwise be necessary for water purification purposes. This eliminates some health concerns with chlorine and getting too much of it, but may also simply just make the water taste better. Another benefit of water filtration is that it is generally less costly then consuming bottled water for an entire household. Pure, clean drinking water has many health benefits, especially in pregnant women and children who are most vulnerable to bacteria and illness. Not getting enough clean drinking water can lead to simple problems such as fatigue and headaches and can range to the extremes of severe dehydration and even death.

There are obstacles to all types of water purification, including a countertop water filter. The initial cost, ranging from hundreds to thousands of dollars, for installing a whole home water filtration system can be costly. Maintenance involved in water filtration is another expense worth considering. A common maintenance issue, and expense, is changing the carbon filters regularly. When carbon filters are not changed as required, bacteria can grow at level of up to 2,000 times more than in non-filtered water. With that much bacteria in your water, you would have defeated the entire purpose of even having a water purification system!

Pristine water purification and whether to purchase a countertop water filter or another method for water purification should consider your needs and what you are willing to pay for and maintain.




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All About The Benefits Of AREDS II

By Max Brazell


Aging is something that can happen to anyone. This is the time when the body will start to degenerate from your skin down to your different organ systems. One of the organs that will be deeply affected is the eyes. It is common for the elderly to suffer from certain eye problems. For this reason, studies like the AREDS II were done in order to do something about this.

AREDS II is the shortened version of Age Related Disease Study 2. It was done as a follow up to a similar study that was done a few years ago. This study aims to uncover the effectiveness of using different vitamin supplements in order to stop or to slow down the degeneration of ones vision.

One of the main objective of the study is to finds way to keep AMD at bay or at least to slow it down. Age related macular degeneration happens when the macular would no longer function as the aging process accelerates. AMD is something that can affect a huge percentage of individuals that are in the 65 years and above age group.

It is also believed that you can use this study to deal with cataracts. A cataract is a cloudy substance that has developed on the lens. This is the result of protein clumping together in one part of a person's lens making his vision very blurry.

In this study, researchers are focused on determining how certain vision vitamins can affect those who are prone to develop AMD or old people who already have a vision problem. They study the effects that doses of vitamins E and C can have on these people. They also use lutein, beta carotene, zeaxanthin, Omega 3, copper, and zinc.

The nutrients that were mentioned can be derived from certain plants except for Omega 3, which is found in fish like salmon. For example, beta carotene is abundant in plants and vegetables especially the bright colored ones. Zeaxanthin and lutein can easily be found in spinach and other green vegetables.

With the help of the study, scientists get to make proper use of these substances. They use as their way of knowing how well the eyes will respond to eye supplements. These supplements contain a good dose of vision vitamins especially lutein and zeaxanthin.

AREDS II can benefit different kinds of people. The result of this study is something that can help millions of seniors all over the world. This will also help young individuals to do something about their vision while they are still yet to experience aging.




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Unknown Details On Top 20 Superfoods

By Carole Esche


We neglect nature and all it gives to us and yet it is the only area where we can get help when we are sick, when we lack energy, and feel weary. The foods that are important for good wellness are described as super foods suggesting that they are filled with anti-oxidants, molecules and minerals. Others in the same classification have phytochemicals, monounsaturated fats, omega 3 fatty acids and fibers.

One can be surprised by the foods that make up the listing and these normally consist of the avocado, apricots, beans, broccoli, berries, cacao, cinnamon, oats, pomegranate juice, peanut butter, turkey among others. It is required to consist of the superfoods in ones diet as they help in combating various ailments.

All of us have the mistaken belief that super foods are not good going by exactly what we were told by our grandparents, however that notion is gradually fading as more and more folks turn to them as sources of energy. Fruits or veggies like the avocado have certainly been used extensively in reducing blood heart disease and stroke, and lowering the cholesterol degrees in the body. All of these benefits are enjoyed as they have monounsaturated fats in them.

These are the excellent fats that we should all be consuming as they do not congest our canals, do not keep our cholesterol degrees up and are good in decreasing belly fat. Superfoods are jam stuffed with the anti-oxidants which are useful in reinforcing the immune system, reducing the growing old process, and fighting off the cost-free radicals and the phytochemicals are beneficial in stimulating detoxification this is the process where the body gets rid of the toxins, they promote the immune system too and they act as antibacterial and antiviral agents.

One more top superfood is spirulina; this is an alga that is normally blue or green in color. Exactly what makes it a superfood is that it includes natural iron, protein, chlorophyll, vitamin E, B12, beta carotene, amino acids and trace minerals. It has been shown to be very beneficial to the aged.

Offering youngsters a head start where the super foods are concerned might be giving them the required defense needed to ward of diseases and illnesses. Therefore having them on the table in small quantities is recommended.

The various superfoods all impact the body in a different way and the excellent news is that the advantages do not stop there they go on long after the food has certainly been digested. If one simply has a serving of these terrific foods each day, then illnesses would not catch the one as one has the immune important to cease the illness from ruining the body.

We all want fiber in one form or yet another and the greatest method would be to get it from the fruits and veggies that are plentiful all over the globe. Fiber is needed for pushing out the unwarranted things from the body and it even helps one feel fuller for longer without needing to gorge down on junk food.




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Make Getting In Shape Easier With This Advice

By Jade Oakman


Trying to get fit is a major task. There are many different things you must consider. Not only does it involve getting more exercise and working out, you must change your entire way of thinking about nutrition, health and how you treat your body from head to toe in general. The following tips will show you how to treat your body better.

Add intensity to your fitness training by adding light hand weights to aerobic activities or lower body workouts. Holding 3-5 pound weights while doing a light aerobic workout, going for a brisk walk or doing squats and other leg and hip workouts will intensify the benefit of the workout.

A great fitness tip is to start doing skull crushers. Skull crushers are a unique exercise that can help put a lot of meat on your triceps. In order to do them you must lay back with a bar in your hands and bring it back behind your head, bending your arms.

If you're a runner and you run often, you're going to want to replace your running shoes roughly ever 400-500 miles. That may seem like a lot, but if you're running on a regular basis those miles add up quickly. This is to insure that your shoes remain comfortable and aren't causing you blisters or leaving you prone to twisting your ankle.

When you need shoes for working out, be sure that they fit properly. Go shoe shopping in the evening time. When it is late in the day, your feet are the largest. When trying on the shoes, be sure that you can wiggle your toes and that you have about a half inch of space between your longest toe and the shoe. If your destination is less than 2 miles away, always choose to walk, run or take your bike. By consistently making this healthy choice, you give yourself the benefit of free mini-workouts multiple times every day that will benefit your heart, lungs, muscles, and general sense of well-being and fitness.

When planning your exercise routine, put in resistance first and the aerobic exercise last. When exercising glycogen is used first and then fat is used for energy. Glycogen will be used for the energy for resistance exercises. Doing aerobic exercise next will help you to burn more fat because the stored glycogen has already been used.

When working out, intensity and speed are usually one and the same. If you want to gain strength faster, do an exercise faster. Being able to stay in control yet perform an exercise faster indicates better mastery of the work out. This does not mean for you to dangerously throw around weights or do rapid crunches; a slight increase in intensity is good, but complete disregard for accessing your muscles in favor of speed is bad.

Performing multiple reps of double dips can help you to achieve stronger triceps, but they can also be tweaked to work more on the muscles in your chest. To enhance your triceps, straighten your body and perform each dip with your elbows pointed inward. To focus on the chest muscles, position your elbows outward and lean forward while performing the dip.

As was previously stated, fitness can be a great activity for anyone to get into. It takes a little knowledge to learn the basics so that you can start doing it correctly, but you don't have to become a fitness buff if you don't want to. Just keep those tips in mind and enjoy yourself!




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Health Benefits Of Calories In Avocado

By Darnell Visini


Calories in avocado, for people who are keen on taking care of their health especially their weight should have a clear analysis of the foods and fruits that they consume. There are various types and sizes of avocados depending on where they are cultivated; and the existing climatic conditions. Getting the nutritional value of the fruit therefore does not rely on the size or origin of this fruit as many believe.

Standard avocados contain 322 metric units, 29.47g of fat of which 4.273g is saturated fat, 17.15g carbohydrates of which fiber and sugar accounts for 13.47g and 1.33g respectively and protein taking 4.02g. Avocados are high in calories and healthy fats making them ideal for making salads and stuffed fillings. This translates to 124 metric units in a single tablespoonful.

Apart from the high fiber and vitamin C, when taken as a snack the fruit provides the required fiber and fat which accounts for 77%, 19% carbohydrates and 4% protein making it a whole meal. To be precise, out of the 322 metric units it contains, 265 is actually natural fat. This composition is safer that taking fat which contains chemicals and other preservatives.

Apart from the nutritional value of this fruit, it is also used as an antioxidant, weight loss ingredient, stroke prevention and baby food. It has unique skin penetration capabilities and used it is also used as herbal cosmetic, which among other things act as a sunscreen. On the other hand, the fruit has both health and culinary benefits for all ages especially in helping the body absorb cancer-fighting nutrients that are naturally found in spinach and carrots. People who are HIV positive benefit from the nutrients in avocados in the fight against opportunistic diseases.

The food pyramid classifies avocados as free from sodium and cholesterol but moderate in sugar and high in vitamins. Avocado culinary delights are good for the dieting individual and are the best option from junk foods served in the local cafes and restaurants. Taken in moderation, it comes with all the health benefits centrally to the traditional belief that it is a fatty fruit.

People used to believe that weight loss means total abstinence from any form of fat; scientists and nutrition specialists recommend some fat intake to lose weight. Nowadays, most weight products have this fruit as one of the major ingredients thus making it safe for weight watchers. On the other hand, sandwiches and spring rolls have become popular in the recent past owing to this fact.

The amount of metric units contained in fresh avocado are friendly to the body and ideal for lowering cholesterol and blood pressure by helping reduce the risk of coronary artery disease. When consumed daily, it provides 40% the required calories. Daily portions do not need to be huge as half the fruit is good enough.

Most nutritionists recommend avocado as opposed to other calories found in processed products that cause obesity. In fact when used as a vegetable oil, it works well as an appetizer giving the body enzymes to easily process other foods consumed. Though surrounded in myth, it is no doubt that calories in avocado are natural and healthy.




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