Good carbohydrates are generally high in fiber. Foods high in fiber will give you energy over longer periods of time. They also give you a sense of feeling full. Foods that are high in fiber help to lower cholesterol levels, as well as aiding the body in toxin removal.

Good carbohydrates generally have a low glycemic index. Foods with a low glycemic index will not cause a spike in blood sugar. This is especially important for diabetics who have to constantly monitor their blood glucose levels.

Good carbohydrates are nutritious. Good carbohydrates are rich in vitamins, minerals, and nutrients.

Examples of good carbohydrate foods:

• Fruits
• Vegetables
• Beans
• Legumes
• Nuts
• Seeds
• Whole grain breads
• Whole grain cereals
• Whole grain pastas
• Some dairy products

What Are Bad Carbs?

Bad carbohydrate foods are those that have been refined and processed. These foods are not in their natural state. Most of the nutritional value has been removed from these foods. Bad carbohydrate foods are generally loaded with many additives, including colorings, flavorings and preservatives.

Most bad carbohydrate foods are usually very tasteful and are packaged for easy handling. However, they are generally considered harmful to the body because they are not easily digested and they spike an individual’s blood glucose level. Bad carbohydrate foods include candy, baked goods with refined white flour, white pastas, and sodas.

If you eat too many bad carbohydrates, you will most probably gain weight. The calories are “empty” and they have no nutritional value. Individuals who have a lifestyle of eating bad carbs are more at risk to develop diabetes, heart disease, obesity and more

LOW CARB SNACKS

Celery with tuna salad

Hard boiled eggs

Deviled eggs

Dill pickles and cheddar cheese (no kidding, it's a great combo)

1/4 cup berries with 1/3 cup cottage cheese

Nuts (keep raw ones in the freezer if you think you'll overeat them)

Sunflower seeds (get them in the shell so it will take longer to eat them)

Jerky (beef or turkey -- try to find low-sugar varieties)

Cheese sticks, such as string cheese

Sugar-free Jello, alone or with cottage cheese and a sprinkling of nuts

Make sugar-free lime Jello with part coconut milk -- For a large package, dissolve the powder in a cup of boiling water, add a can of coconut milk, and then add the rest of the water. Stir well.

Pepperoni "chips" -- Zap the slices in the microwave

Cheese with a few apple slices

Lettuce Roll-ups -- Roll luncheon meat, egg salad, tuna or other filling and veggies in lettuce leaves

Lunch Meat Roll-ups -- Roll cheese or veggies in lunch meat (read the labels for carbs on the lunch meat)

Spread bean dip, spinach dip, or other low-carb dip or spread on the lunch meat or lettuce and then roll it up

Raw veggies and spinach dip, or other low-carb dip

Pork rinds, with or without dip

Ricotta cheese with fruit and/or nuts and/or flax seed meal

Mushrooms with cheese spread inside (or other spreads or dips)

20 Ways to Amp Up The Love (Boost Oxytocin Naturally) In Your Couple Relationship

By Athena Staik, Ph.D.
The latest findings in neuroscience place love and healthy relationships at the center of what optimizes our health, physically and emotionally, and the quality of our lives in general.
Perhaps no experience in the course of our lifetime, whether conscious or subconscious, consumes more energy, or produces more intense emotions, and up and down extremes in thinking or behaving, than the drive to secure the heart of that special person we seek, and to make a difference in some way – to matter and bring value to the relationship.
A growing body of scientific evidence shows that the way we express love and care for one another, from the time we are infants and throughout our lives, directly affects the health and physical structure of our brains and nervous systems.
Certain actions, ones that convey emotional messages of kindness, caring and love, can affect positive changes on partners and their relationship by releasing a particular feel-good hormone, oxytocin, which amps up the love-connection pathways of the brain. Oxytocin is a hormone that is released by the pituitary gland and stimulates the release of other chemical hormones in the heart.
According to neuroscientist Alan Schore, author of several groundbreaking books, such as Affect Regulation and the Origin of the Self: The Neurobiology of Emotional Development and Affect Regulation and the Repair of Self, one of the most important conclusions from neuroscience is that the human brain, throughout life, is predisposed to be physically molded, in ongoing ways, by relational experiences and interactions in social learning contexts.
Though we are born with the equipment for these social behaviors, the wiring of neural pathways to these areas of the brain must be activated. Early experiences with primary caregivers can form a template for love later in life, with enduring effects on partners’ ability to meaningfully connect. Additionally, the inevitable challenges in couple relationships, and the tendency to resolve conflicts in ways that escalate reactivity, can also affect or weaken the wiring of these caring-responses.
To naturally energize feelings of love and safety between you and your partner, here’s a list off 20 actions that, essentially, amp up the love by amping up one another’s sense of safety in the relationship.

1. Show interest in what your partner says by pausing to make eye contact, drawing near to listen.
2. Physically touch your partner before you get out of bed in the morning.
3. Express nonsexual affection with hugs, touching, holding hands, embracing, and the like.
4. Give a 20-second hug to your partner, at mutually agreed upon times, such as before leaving for work.
5. Talk about a trait you appreciate about your partner when both of you are present with family.
6. Send an “I’m thinking of you” message via email or text at least once during work hours.
7. Say one thing you admire about your partner, when they are not present, to a family member(s).
8. Give your partner a 5- or 10-second kiss at least once each day.
9. Look warmly into your partner’s eyes for a few seconds before and after a kiss.
10. Express something you appreciate about your partner, when they are not present, to a friend(s).
11. Tenderly touch your partner before you turn to go to sleep.
12. Say something you appreciate about the other when both of you are present with friends.
13. Massage your partner’s feet and look warmly into their their eyes (take turns).
14. Listen empathically when your partner vents without giving advice, and validate their feelings.
15. Affirm your partner’s love-actions with statements as, “I love when you express your love by …”
16. Tell your partner what you love about their physical appearance with a warm smile, eye contact and touch.
17. Find humor in something that would normally be a frustration for you, and make one another laugh instead.
18. Smile warmly at one another in key moments, locking eyes for 5 seconds.
19. Ask positive momentum questions, ones that start with, “Isn’t it wonderful that … ?”
20. Express awe for something you love about life with enthusiasm with, “I love that … how about you?”

Hugs, eye contact and kisses grow new neurons, and connect them in healthy ways to other neurons. They will strengthen your relationship.
Studies show they also reduce stress, enhance the immune system, lower blood pressure, and in general affect positive feel-good changes to your mood. The release of hormones, such as oxytocin, endorphins, serotonin, and dopamime, among others, nourishes the cells of the body and makes partners feel-good in relation to one another. In couple relationships, more specifically, they strengthen the emotional connection, and, as they increase each partners sense safety in the relationship, they also amp up the desire of each partner to repeat more of the love-response behaviors.
You can literally kiss, hug, and use your eyes and touch, to energize and amp up your love experience.

Relationship consultant, author, licensed marriage and family therapist, Dr. Athena Staik shows clients how to break free of anxiety, addictions, and other emotional blocks, to awaken radiantly healthy lives and relationships.

way cute work-out outfits

                            


              cute hair

5 Foods That Help You Sleep

 

Should you let yourself have that midnight snack if you're having trouble sleeping and you think hunger might be part of the problem? Here are five foods that can actually help you drift off:
1. Cherries. Fresh and dried cherries are one of the only natural food sources of melatonin, the chemical that controls the body's internal clock to regulate sleep. Researchers who tested tart cherries and found high levels of melatonin recommend eating them an hour before bedtime or before a trip when you want to sleep on the plane.
2. Bananas. Potassium and magnesium are natural muscle relaxants, and bananas are a good source of both. They also contain the amino acid L-tryptophan, which gets converted to 5-HTP in the brain. The 5-HTP in turn is converted to serotonin (a relaxing neurotransmitter) and melatonin.
3. Toast. Carbohydrate-rich foods trigger insulin production, which induces sleep by speeding up the release of tryptophan and serotonin, two brain chemicals that relax you and send you to sleep.
4. Oatmeal. Like toast, a bowl of oatmeal triggers a rise in blood sugar, which in turn triggers insulin production and the release of sleep-inducing brain chemicals. Oats are also rich in melatonin, which many people take as a sleep aid.
5. Warm milk. Like bananas, milk contains the amino acid L-tryptophan, which turns to 5-HTP and releases relaxing serotonin. It's also high in calcium, which promotes sleep.

5 Foods That Sabotage Your Sleep

Caregiver Confessions: When You're Sleeping Poorly -- Or Not at All

If you're having trouble sleeping, what about a midnight snack? It can be a good idea. But be careful to avoid these five foods that can *prevent* you from getting a good night's rest:
1. Preserved and smoked meats. Slap your hand away when it reaches to make a ham sandwich as an evening snack. Ham, bacon, sausages, and smoked meats contain high levels of the amino acid tyramine, which triggers the brain to release norepinephrine, a brain stimulant that makes us feel alert and wired.
2. Chocolate. Love an evening cup of cocoa? That sundae in front of the TV? Be careful of chocolate in all its disguises. Many people are increasingly sensitive to caffeine as they get older, and even the little chocolate chunks in chocolate chip ice cream could zap you just enough to prevent ZZZZs. Chocolate also contains tyrosine, a stimulating amino acid.
3. Energy drinks. Red Bull and other energy drinks are high in caffeine as well as the amino acid taurine, which boosts alertness and adrenaline. Recent studies have shown that even if you drink energy drinks early in the day, the combined high dosage of taurine and caffeine can make it hard to sleep, or to sleep well, later on.
4. Tomato sauce, chili, pizza, and spicy foods. Digestive disturbances are a common source of sleep problems, but many people fail to make the connection. Acidic and spicy foods can cause reflux, heartburn, and other symptoms that interrupt sleep.
5. The nightcap. A drink or two may make you feel more relaxed after dinner, but it comes back to haunt you -- literally -- a few hours later, by preventing you from achieving deep sleep. And because alcohol both dehydrates you and makes you have to pee, it wakes you up, too. Wine is high in the stimulant tyrosine as well.

Hairstyles and Haircuts for Medium-Length Hair

 

The best thing about medium-length hair? The huge variety of styles -- and styling options. Plus, none of the commitment that comes with long hair. Love your locks with these cute medium-length haircuts and styles -- there's nothing "average" about them.

The Long Bob with Bangs

Not too long, not too short, the "lob," or longer sister to the classic bob, adds even more versatility and styling options to your haircut -- yep, this is a bob long enough to pull into a ponytail! Change it up with long bangs, wispy sideswept bangs, or even extra-short baby bangs.


sleek bob

Slightly angle longer bangs to lengthen and slim your face. Keep the layers to a minimum and let choppy ends hit just above the collarbone. Finish this look with a flatiron and an anti-frizz serum for the ultimate sleek, chic 'do


tapered layers

Refine a shoulder-length haircut by using a razor to taper only the hair that frames the face, starting anywhere from cheekbone to chin. The result? Swingy stands that highlight your features, and gently drift from updos in that oh-so-pretty way.

Shoulder-Length Layers

 

Remember the "Rachel" -- that medium-length, multilayered cut popularized by Jennifer Aniston in Friends, circa 1995? Consider this style the modern equivalent -- only softer and more rounded. These gentle layers combined with the mid-length cut flatter any face.

Instant Volume

Curl ends under or flip them out with a big-barrel curling iron to add body to your hair.