Vision Insurance Plans

In this day and age where most of our time is spent before a screen - either a computer or a television - our most vital of senses, vision, can easily get damaged. Routine eye examinations, therefore, are absolutely essential for maintaining healthy vision. However, eye care can be prohibitively expensive. Not only eye examinations, but even lenses, frames, etc. can burn a deep hole in your pockets. Therefore, it is essential that you get yourself covered with a vision insurance plan, especially if more than one person in your family regularly uses glasses/lenses.

Vision insurance plans basically supplement whatever form of health insurance you already hold (whether it is PPO or HMO). Such plans cater specifically to eye care that may not be covered by your regular insurance plan. Generally, it covers the entire gamut of eye care services, from regular eye examinations, corrective lenses, and in some plans, even frames for glasses, etc. As with regular insurance, you can avail of these services from doctors, clinics, or opticians affiliated to the organization providing the insurance.

In addition to routine examinations, lenses, prescription medicines such as eye-drops, you can also avail of surgical procedures such as LASIK at a small extra cost in most plans.

It is recommended that you pick a plan that either completely covers, or offers a steep discount on optician services such as corrective lenses, frames, etc. as these tend to be very expensive and can run into thousands of dollars (not to mention their fragile nature which means that you'll end up replacing them sooner or later). Savings with such a plan can easily be 50% or more on glasses and lenses.

With more and more people suffering from poor eyesight, it has become imperative that you take some precautionary measures to protect your eyes, and ease the burden it places on your wallet. Vision insurance plans are a great way of doing so by covering most care options related to the eyes.

The Mexican Cake – Chocolate Buttermilk Cake

Chocolate buttermilk cake is a good recipe to prepare at the time of celebration at your home. The mexican food Venice uses this unique recipe to prepare this delicious cake. A large number of ingredients are required for preparing this tasty mexican cake. Before preparing the cake make sure to preheat the oven for about 350F.

Take a cake pan and grease it. Then line the cake pan with greased wax paper. Now transfer flour, cocoa baking soda baking powder as cinnamon along with the flour. Now add buttermilk as well as coffe into the above mixture and mix it well. Then add the cream along with butter as well as with sugar till the mixtur becomes light and fluffy.

At this time you have to add eggs and beat it till it becomes thick. Then beat the mixture at a low speed so that the mixture will bre mixed up well and continue this process till it blends well. Now its time for baking up the cake for about 35 minutes. After baking remove the rack for cooling. After the cake is cooled put it into a fridge.

After keeping it for an hour its time to split the cake and to wrap it in a wax paper and allow it to frreze at once. Prepare sour cream filling by beating heavy cream with sugar untill the mixture becomes stiff. Then put it in the fridge. This is the very first step in preparing this yummy mexican chocolate buttermilk cake.

The next step in prepariang the mexican cake is yet another important step called frosting. This mexican cake is very delicious in taste, but it will take some time in preparing. Though the recipe of the cake is simple without much complicated steps, but preparing this cake will take some time. Therefore try this recipe when you are really free.

The Mexican Cake – Chocolate Buttermilk Cake

Easy Chocolate Cake

Yield: 12 servings

Ingredients

• 1+¼ cup (170 g) all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder (dutched/dark)
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 pinches salt
• 1 cup (200 g) sugar
• 1 tablespoon vanilla essence
• ½ cup (1.2 dl) milk or water
• ½ cup (1.2 dl) vegetable oil (flavorless)
• 2 eggs

Ingredients for frosting

• 2/3 cup (1.6 dl) heavy cream or whipping cream
• 9 oz (260 g) semisweet chocolate (40-50% cocoa)

Method

1. Preheat oven to 350 deg F (Gas mark 4 or 180 deg C)
2. Grease a 9 inch (23 cm) cake tin.
3. Mix flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, salt, sugar and vanilla essence in a bowl.
4. Add milk/water, vegetable oil and eggs.
5. Mix everything together until smooth, either by hand or by using an electric mixer at slow speed.
6. Transfer to bake tin and bake at 350 degrees until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, approximately 35 to 45 minutes.
7. After the cake has cooled, slice the cake through the middle to make two layers (easier if the cake has been in the fridge).

Frosting

1. Heat 2/3 cup (1.6 dl) of heavy cream or whipping cream in a sauce pan.
2. Remove from heat, add 9 oz (260 g) of finely chopped dark semisweet chocolate, stir until smooth, and let it cool until in thickens, if needed in the fridge.
3. Use one 1/3 of the frosting between the two layers, 1/3 on top, and the rest around the cake. Put the cake into the fridge for one hour or more to harden the frosting.
4. This cake should have room temperature when served.

Vegetable and Blood Pressure

All vegetables are good for lowering your blood pressure but i think that canned vegetables are the ones to be wary of because they contain a vast amount of salt, therefore you should stay away.

Eating plenty of healthy vegetables and fruits helps prevent heart disease and strokes, diverticulitis, control your blood pressure. A healthy diet combined with exercise and medication can help you lower your blood pressure. Green vegetables are useful because it contains nutrients found in these vegetables reduce cancer risks, lower blood pressure. These are very useful like Swiss chard, Broccoli, Cabbage, Cauliflower to reduce the blood pressure.

• Increase foods that are high in potassium, magnesium and fiber.
• Eat at least 4-5 servings a day of whole fresh fruit and 4-5 servings a day of vegetables.
• A serving is approximately 1/2 cup cooked or 1 cup raw fruit or vegetable, or 1 small piece of fruit.
• Eat citrus fruit 3 times a week for potassium and fiber.
• Eat nuts, seeds, dried beans and peas at least 4 times a week for potassium, magnesium and fiber.
• Eat more potatoes, tomatoes and bananas for potassium.
• Eat whole grains and whole grain products for fiber and magnesium.
• Increase foods that are high in calcium choose 2-3 cups low-fat or fat-free dairy products daily.

Five Interesting Reasons To Go Vegetarian

If you want to live long and stay healthy, a vegetable-packed diet is the best way to go. As a young medical student, I learned that eating plenty of fibre in the form of fruit and veg could protect you from bowel cancer. And the longest-living group of people on the planet - the Japanese Okinawans - are virtually vegetarian, eating only tiny amounts of meat but up to 20 portions of fruit and veg a day.

Their super-healthy diet is thought to be the key to having such low rates of cancer compared to the rest of the world. So it's no surprise that new research from Oxford has found we should be eating a diet that veers towards vegetarian if we want to protect ourselves from a whole variety of cancers. The study says we could reduce our cancer risk by at least 10% simply by eating less meat and more veg.

Five Interesting Reasons To Go Vegetarian

1) Can Expect Longer Life:
Researchers have confirmed that vegetarians live almost seven years longer and vegans almost 15 years longer than meat eaters.

2) Lower Risk To Cardiovascular Diseases:
Reports show that average males eating a meat-based diet have 50% chance of occurance of heart disease while the risk can be cut down by 15% if he goes for a vegetarian diet. A vegetarian diet, which consists of fruits and vegetables, is known to have antioxidant nutrients that protect the heart and its arteries.

3) You Can Add Color To Your Plate:
The disease fighting phytochemicals that provide the fruits and vegetables their color can tempt you into eating more of naturally occuring substances that strengthen your immunity and prevent you from diseases.

4) A Good Remedy For Back Problems:
According to Neil Barnard,M.D., back pains appear to begin, not in the back, but in the arteries. Eating a plant-based diet keeps these arteries clear of cholestrol-causing blockages and prevents pinching of nerves, to help maintain a healthy back.

5) You Can Contribute To Water Purity:
On an average, it takes about 2,500 gallons of water to produce one pound of beef, where as it takes just 25 gallons of water to produce a pound of wheat. This, apart from being wasteful, also contributes to water pollution since, the major reason for it's occurence is animal agriculture.

Common Sense in Fitness Nutrition

If you are trying to get into shape, Wouldn't it make more sense to work out, and then have a protein shake or a bottle of water and some fruit and vegetables?

After your workout its the time when you should be trying to get nutrients to your muscles to help them recover and grow. This is the time when your blood is really flowing and anything that goes into your system will be absorbed by your muscles before they return to their relaxed state.
 

Try to avoid consuming foods and drinks that will do your body more harm than good. If you choose simple and healthy snacks like fruit, meat, or nuts and drink water or juices instead of soft drinks, you will find that it doesn't take long to feel a boost in energy and overall health. Getting the right nutrition doesn't mean eating less... It means eating right and using some common sense. Get the right nutrition at the right time.

The key first step on the path to physical fitness is seeking information, followed by the decision to pursue a healthy lifestyle centered around physical fitness. This website is designed to share some of the knowledge that I have gained over the years from working out and trying to live a healthy lifestyle. This knowledge is key in allowing you to make smart decisions and to give you ideas on how to achieve your fitness goals. The decision to fully carry out a physical fitness program cannot be taken lightly. It requires a lifelong commitment of time and effort. As with any exercise or nutritional regimen, please check with a medical doctor and a certified nutritionist before you begin.

Exercise must become an integral part of your life, something that you do without a second thought, like brushing your teeth. Unless you are convinced of the benefits of fitness and the risks of ignoring it, you will not succeed. You must also realize that you can't try to do too much too soon and must not quit before you have a chance to experience the rewards of improved fitness. Patience and hard work are key since you can't regain in a few days or weeks what you may have lost in years of sedentary living, but you can get it back if you persevere. The end result is worth the price.

A Healthy Diet Suggestion

Eat enough calories but not too many. Maintain a balance between your calorie intake and calorie expenditure' that is, don't eat more food than your body uses. The average recommended daily allowance is 2,000 calories, but this depends on your age, sex, height, weight, and physical activity.

Eat a wide variety of foods. Healthy eating is an opportunity to expand your range of choices by trying foods' especially vegetables, whole grains, or fruits' that you don't normally eat.

Keep portions moderate, especially high-calorie foods. In recent years serving sizes have ballooned, particularly in restaurants. Choose a starter instead of an entr'e, split a dish with a friend, and don't order supersized anything.

Eat plenty of fruits, vegetables, grains, and legumes' foods high in complex carbohydrates, fiber, vitamins, and minerals, low in fat, and free of cholesterol. Try to get fresh, local produce

Drink more water. Our bodies are about 75% water. It is a vital part of a healthy diet. Water helps flush our systems, especially the kidneys and bladder, of waste products and toxins. A majority of Americans go through life dehydrated.

Limit sugary foods, salt, and refined-grain products. Sugar is added to a vast array of foods. In a year, just one daily 12-ounce can of soda (160 calories) can increase your weight by 16 pounds. See suggestions below for limiting salt and substituting whole grains for refined grains.

Don't be the food police. You can enjoy your favorite sweets and fried foods in moderation, as long as they are an occasional part of your overall healthy diet. Food is a great source of pleasure, and pleasure is good for the heart ‘even if those French fries aren't!

Get moving. A healthy diet improves your energy and feelings of well-being while reducing your risk of many diseases. Adding regular physical activity and exercise will make any healthy eating plan work even better.

One step at a time. Establishing new food habits is much easier if you focus on and take action on one food group or food fact at a time