Zoganic FruitZip Review

Powdered vitamins you can mix into your drink instead of taking another pill? Yes please!  I was happy to receive 3 flavors of Zoganic FruitZip for free in exchange for my honest review.  I shared the trio on Instagram when they arrived.

A post shared by Cassandra Schmigotzki (@longandwindingroadtowellness) on Jul 25, 2017 at 11:16am PDT

The Zoganic FruitZip are all low in sugar, organic, non-GMO, gluten free, dairy free, vegan, and all-natural vitamin powerpacks you can bring with you anywhere.  Another bonus is they're made in the US.  Just one box is full of antioxidants, nutrients, vitamins, probiotics, and energy.  There are 4 different flavor combinations for your everyday needs.

First up for me to try was Coconut + Energy, which I put in my water for one of my Wednesday walks.  This flavor provides natural electrolytes, B vitamins, as well as calcium and magnesium to build stamina.  While I didn't notice anything different it was nice to have a little flavor in my water while I sweated away.

Next I tried the Orange + Immunity mixed in with some hot tea.  When I'm not feeling well I drink a lot more hot tea to knock out the blah feelings.  It would've been nice to have this flavor while we were sick in Germany because it bolsters your natural immunities, boosts energy, and offers a high-end shot of vitamins and minerals.

Finally I had the Multi + Refreshment on a day where my allergies were driving me crazy at work.  This flavor is just a berry flavored multivitamin but it seemed to have done the trick.  My sneezes and runny nose seemed to have slowed after I drank the Zoganic FruitZip.

Of course the flavor I really wanted to try when I saw this opportunity was the one I didn't receive - Pineapple + Digest.  But they said I was lucky because most others only received 1 flavor so I'm taking it as a win!  This flavor helps relieve acid reflux, boosts energy, and heals and balances the digestive tract.

Which of the 4 flavors of Zoganic FruitZip sounds like something you could use in your life?  Try a box RISK FREE with a 100% Satisfaction Guarantee.  You can even save 50% off your order using the code HEALTH2017!

Follow DrinkZoganic on Instagram for more ways to incorporate Zoganic FruitZip into your daily drinks.

4 Ways Water Can Help Regulate What and How Much You Eat

Weight loss can be a hard task for anyone. There're so many different elements that go into losing weight it can be like learning a whole new set of information. There is one simple thing that you can do to help regulate how much and what you eat. Drinking water is not a magical cure-all, but it may seem like it after you learn what it can do to help you regulate your eating.

Water Aids Digestion Through Saliva

Digestion starts with saliva. Saliva is made mostly of water. According to Everyday Health, the enzymes in saliva are the beginning of the digestive tract. These enzymes help break down food so that they can be properly digested in the stomach. Without these and times food would never be able to be processed in the stomach.

Water also helps break down the fiber. Water-soluble fiber is one of the biggest factors of filling full after you eat. If you have not had enough water, or are dehydrated digesting water soluble fiber becomes almost impossible. Make sure that you can digest this food element properly by drinking lots of water.

Water Soluble Vitamins

One of the reasons that we eat food is to get access to vitamins. Vitamins and minerals are vital to various body functions. Deficits in these minerals and vitamins can cause cravings in the body. San Francisco Gate tells how the body cannot digest certain water-soluble vitamins without enough water in the body.

Water-soluble vitamins are vitamins that can only be absorbed with the aid of water. These vitamins break down with the water in the digestive tract and men are absorbed into the body. Absorption of these essential vitamins stops when dehydration occurs, or when there is not enough water in the body. When even slight deficiencies are present, you may begin craving additional foods even though you’re not hungry. These cravings are due to vitamin deficiencies and not hunger so make sure that you have enough water so that you can digest all your water-soluble vitamins.

Eat Fewer Calories

Water can help you eat fewer calories than you would if you didn’t drink water before meals. Livestrong notes a study where participants consumed 75-90 fewer calories with 2 8-oz glasses before dinner per meal. Now consuming 90 fewer calories per meal may not seem like a whole lot. However, if you did this every meal you could lose up to 28 pounds a year.

How?

If you save 90 calories a meal three times a day, that’s 270 calories every day that you’re not eating. If you do this every day for a week you’ve not consumed 1890 calories. Continue saving that 90 calories a meal every week for a year, and you’ve saved 98,280 calories. 3500 calories make up a pound. In weight loss, the theory is that a deficit of 3500 calories means 1 pound of weight loss. By saving 98,280 calories you’ve created a pretty big gap.

Meaning 28 pounds!

On the flip-side, if you were to continue eating as normal that 90 calories could be in excess. So, instead of saving, you’ve actually GAINED 28 pounds in a year. All this weight loss or weight gain is changed by only drinking two 8-ounce glasses of water before each meal.

Hunger and Thirst Cues are the Same

You may be reaching for a snack when what you should be reaching for is a tall glass of water. Spark People shared an article describing how the body sends out the exact same signal for hunger that it does for thirst. Many people don’t know how to tell the difference between hunger and thirst, and because we so rarely think about dehydration we assume that we are hungry. Next time you’re getting hungry signals from your brain try reaching for a glass of water instead. You may find out that you were just thirsty.

Now you know four surprising ways that water can help you control how much and what you eat. Helping you stop cravings and eat less water is a fantastic one stop shop for your diet solutions. What are some ways that you have noticed water help you with your diet?

Eating Fruits and Vegetables for a Healthier You

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends that we eat between five and nine servings of fruits and vegetables daily. When you first hear that number, it may seem like a lot, but it is much easier than you think to fit that many servings of fruits and vegetables into your daily diet. For one thing, the shelves of the grocery stores are bursting with fresh fruits and vegetables. In addition, vegetables and fruits are some of the least expensive, most nutrient rich, foods in the supermarket. With all these fruits and vegetables to choose from, it can be simple to make these nutritious, delicious foods part of your daily meals and snacks.

When you consider how much a serving really is, it is quite painless to get five to nine servings of fruits and vegetables per day. For instance, the recommended daily amount equates to a quite reasonable two cups of fruit and two and a half cups of vegetables every day. When you consider how many fruits and vegetables are available, and how low the prices usually are, reaching this daily goal is pretty easy.

One great way to get the nutrients you need from fruits and vegetables every day is to take full advantage of the variety of these foods available. Eating the same thing every day quickly becomes boring, so why not pick a variety of fruits and vegetables, in every color of the rainbow and in every conceivable shape, size and texture, to give yourself a varied diet every day.

When shopping for fruits and vegetables, it is important to choose a variety of different colors. This is for more than purely artistic reasons. Different color fruits and vegetables have different types of nutrients, and choosing a variety of colors will help ensure you get all the vitamins and minerals you need each day.

Finding new recipes is another great way to ensure you get those five to nine servings of fruits and vegetables every day. Almost everyone likes to try out new recipes, and these new recipes may just provide the stimulus you need to eat all those fruits and veggies.

New recipes can also provide you the opportunity to try out some fruits and vegetables you have never tried before. For instance, everyone has eaten oranges, but have you tried kiwi fruit or mangoes? How about spinach or kale? Trying new things is a great way to find new favorites while getting the best nutrition available.

Many people mistakenly think that they do not need to eat five to nine servings of fruits and vegetables every day if they just take a vitamin supplement. Nothing could be further from the truth. That is because fruits and vegetables contain far more than the micronutrients identified by science and synthesized in vitamin supplements. While these micronutrients, such as vitamin C, vitamin A and vitamin E are important to good health, so too are the hundreds of other elements that are contained in healthy foods like fruits and vegetables. These elements are not available in any pill, they must be ingested through a healthy, balanced diet that contains plenty of fruits and vegetables.

In addition, fruits and vegetables are much less costly than vitamin pills. Fruits and vegetables are very inexpensive, especially when purchased in season and grown locally. In the long run, getting the nutrition you need from the food you eat is much less expensive, and much better for you, than popping those vitamin supplements every day.

So, don’t forget to get your five to nine servings of fruits and vegetables every day. It may seem like a lot, but you can meet this quite reasonable goal simply by including fruits and vegetables as snacks, as garnishes, as side dishes and as meals.

Good health at 40: Three quick ways to boost your health & fitness!

This being the first time for guest posting I'm not sure what all to put on an introduction.  Sure I've read several other's guest posts but my things always tend to be different.  I listed my request for guest posters in a few places and of course received some replies with topics no where near what this blog is about.  Carly was the first to respond with relevant topics.  I hope you enjoy!

Image courtesy of Stuart Miles / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

They say 40 is the new 30 for women. After all, age is just a number and does not have to define you. While you may not sure if you feel that way right now – with all types of shifts in your body and those hormones starting to rebel – there are some ways to boost your health and fitness so you feel young(er) again.  Here are three ways you can start changing your physical and mental outlook:

1.    Get Moving! Despite running from here and there – between work, taxi service for the kids, and family life – you may still have a sedentary lifestyle that has you moving less than you should. Exercise and an active life are two of the best solutions for stress, anxiety, and troubled sleep. Regular exercise also helps to decrease your chances of chronic diseases by keeping your body in top-performing mode. You will be able to strengthen muscles and alleviate pain while reducing the risk of bone fractures and arthritis. Even 20 minutes a day of brisk walking can make a difference. Working in other movement can be fun and also help keep you from stiffening up. It could be dancing, tennis, or golf.  Plus, if you pick outdoor exercise, you can give your body a little bit extra Vitamin D from the sunlight that helps re-energize you. If you can’t get outdoors, be sure to get up from your desk every half hour and do some stretching and movement to keep those joints working! It’s that old adage, you have got to use it or you will lose it!

Creative Commons image from Pixabay.com 

2.    Take Your Vitamins. As you age, your body’s nutritional needs change. Not staying attuned to these changing needs can lead to vitamin deficiencies that then zap your energy and slow you down. Although the jury is still out on whether vitamins really make a difference – with some swearing by them and saying just one supplement makes them feel on top of the world – it is well worth trying. Of course, a balanced diet can be the best solution for your body, it may be that you are still missing out on certain vitamins and minerals that could help provide you with the energy need to be that super woman. Some vitamins can help with bone health and your immune system, which are important because, as women age, these are trouble spots that can slow us all down. If you are not necessarily keen on taking tablets every day, focus on adding more fruits and vegetables to your diet that are full of some of these same vitamins.

3.    Catch Those Zzzzzs. The power of sleep makes an incredible difference in your physical appearance as well as your mental and emotional outlook. Those who can get between seven and nine hours a night not only look fresh and younger, but they also have a brighter outlook and are more alert. However, many women in their 40s report sleep troubles and chronic insomnia, which they never previously experienced often related to hormonal changes. To ensure a good’s night sleep, there are natural sleep aids, including herbal remedies, which address these hormonal changes. You can also prepare your bedroom and yourself for sleep by creating a quiet and cool environment and removing any stimuli like your smartphone and television. That regular exercise in tip 1 also can go a long way to catching up on your beauty sleep!

Creative Commons image from Pixabay.com

Of course, there are many other important ways that you can look and feel younger, including drinking lots of water, staying social, and balancing work and personal life. However, these three ways can go a long way to creating the physical and mental energy that will have many people guessing you are a lot younger than your actual age!

Carly W is a writer working on behalf of Nature’s Best.  In her spare time she enjoys walking her two lovely doggies and cooking up delicious meals.