Preventative Maintenance Applies to More than Your Car

July 29, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Appropriate medical care is paramount to preventing life altering illnesses. We all know that if you don’t change the oil in your car, the engine could seize on you leaving you with thousands of dollars in repair bills. In addition to changing the oil, rotating the tires on your car will help improve car performance. Getting a proper car alignment affects a number of car parts that could break easily if stressed with an improper alignment. Along those lines, it is important to receive proper medical care and get a check-up at least once annually after the age of thirty.

An annual check-up allows a doctor to take blood from you and test it for various diseases and deficiencies. Indeed, a blood test could detect an illness before it sets in and begins to break down body functions. There are also tests performed by the doctor to detect forms of cancer, such as breast, testicles, or colon cancer. Detecting lung cancer requires a chest x-ray which will only be performed if you have felt chest discomfort or other symptoms leading your doctor to believe there is a problem worth investigating.

When we are young we feel as though we’ll live forever but growing older requires precautions be taken. If you notice a decline in your eyesight for instance, it is important to see an eye doctor as soon as you can. Delaying problems with eyesight, hearing, or other senses which break down as we age only results in more discomfort as the problems persist. Preventative maintenance on your body will allow you to live a healthier life for years to come.

Filed Under: Health Care, Nutrition

5 foods with no nutritional value

December 29, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Have you ever devoured your favorite snack while trying to ignore the feeling that there was probably nothing good for you in it? what if we examined what was eaten for breakfast, lunch and dinner, how many processed foods with little to no nutritional value would we discover? Foods with no nutritional value are devoid of the nutrients our bodies need to function and only provide empty calories. Foods are processed to make them cheaper, look more appealing, or even to make them taste better but in the process vital nutrients are lost. Good nutrition is all about what we put in our bodies. All natural foods such as fruit, grains, nuts with no processing is what our bodies crave, foods with empty calories such as the ones listed below can contribute to ill health and a host of diseases such as diabetes and cancer.

Alcohol
Soda
Hard candy
White Sugar
White Flour

Alcohol and soda: These may quench our thirst but the truth is that they do absolutely nothing for our bodies. Hard candy may satisfy our need to nibble but it only gives us a quick boost from sugar while our bodies are still in need of real food. Raw sugar contains nutrients and minerals that are good for our body, too much is never good but at least there is some redeeming quality to it. White sugar however has had all the nutrients bleached out, the same can be said for white flour. When you see the word “enriched” it means that the manufacturers tried to add back in what was already removed. Sugary snacks and baked goods on the shelves in the grocery store are made with these two primary ingredients and a host of other preservatives. This is why foods are called processed, they have had a lot of “man-handling” if you truly want to be healthy try steering away from processed foods and head straight for the natural stuff. Your body will thank you.

Filed Under: Health, Nutrition Tagged With: , , ,

Diet Snacks

December 22, 2010 By Leave a Comment

The worst part about being on a diet is the fact that you tend to get hungry. Sometimes it even feels like you are hungrier than normal, and all the available choices will ruin your diet. There is something about telling yourself that you are not allowed to eat something, which makes you want to eat even more. So here is some good news, you can eat. Whether you have decided to watch your diet based on caloric intake, fat percentage, carbohydrates, or any other type of factor, here are some foods, that are good for you, good for your diet, and will help you shrink down to fit into that perfect outfit.
For starters, for the calorie and fat percentage counters, pretzels make a fantastic snack; for example, twenty of the slim slick pretzels equal 100 calories, and next to nothing in fat. For the carbohydrate dieters, almonds make a great snack. Ten almonds a day actually helps you lose weight because of the calcium they contain. It is a proven fact that calcium can help you lose those extra pounds, especially around the belly. For those that are simply looking for low calorie fillers try baked chips, apples, or a piece of hard candy.
Remember to always follow your snack up with a large glass of water. This will make your snack seem more filling. You can even spruce it up with a flavor pouch. Try not to tell yourself that you can’t eat, rather, what you will eat next. It has been proven that eating six small meals a day will help you lose weight better than three. So find foods that fit into your diet plan, prepare, measure, and pack them in advance, so when you find yourself to be in a hurry, you will not be tempted to find something fast and unhealthy.

Filed Under: Health, Nutrition, Sanitation Tagged With: , , ,

Finding Vegetarian Vitamins

December 17, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Fruit on display at La Boqueria market in Barc...
Image via Wikipedia

Becoming a vegetarian can be a great choice to improve your health and get a better diet. Whether you like to eat your fruit and vegetables as they come or dry them out with food dehydrators, there are many options open to vegetarians as to the diet they choose. However, you may want to take additional vitamins to supplement your diet and it can sometimes be hard to find vitamins that are made without certain animal extracts and proteins. If you are looking for vitamins that are suitable for vegetarians, there are a few things you should do.

The first step is to make sure you are looking in the right place for the vitamins. You are unlikely to find supplements that are suitable for vegetarians in your local supermarket, but places like Whole Foods and other dedicated health stores should have some available. You should especially be on the lookout for stores that sell organic items, as these should have a range of vitamins suitable for vegetarians. Make sure you check the label of any vitamins you buy thoroughly. Most vitamins will contain gelatin, which can be made from animals.

You can also take chewable vitamins that are more likely to be suitable for vegetarians. These can be chewed around mealtimes and will give you the extra boost of dietary supplements that you are looking for. Vitaball is one firm that makes vitamins that come in the form of bubble gum. Not only are these vitamins great for your diet, but they are more fun than simply swallowing a caspule! This will ensure that kids will love them, making it easier to make sure your children get the extra vitamins they need.

If you are still unsure about which vitamins you can take, contact PETA, the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. They should be able to point you in the right direction.

Filed Under: Health, Health Care, Nutrition Tagged With: ,

Low Sodium Foods

December 17, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Low Sodium FoodsHaving a low sodium diet is a smart and healthy thing to do. The reasons for needing a diet such as this is to help maintain blood pressure, prevent bloating, and help to increase circulation. Having a high sodium diet can also increase your risks for stroke, heart attack, and can make losing weight a challenging and difficult task. Especially when it seems like the food choices are not plentiful, and you have to be proactive about reading every label.
The thing to focus on when choosing foods that have a low sodium content, is to use common sense. Ask yourself, “does it have a lot of salt?” If the answer is yes, then that food choice is not low in sodium. Not all low sodium foods need to be tasteless either. Fruits and vegetables have no sodium, and are easily doctored with non-salt spices, such as no salt spice mixes, and heart healthy no sodium butter. Beans are also a fantastic low sodium food. They are easily mixed in with other foods, providing a full and filling meal. Remember, steaming vegetables always helps to lock in flavor, so that you do not need to add anything in order to enjoy your meal.
Depending on the health issue, you can also find cookbooks that offer low to no sodium recipes. If you are just looking to cut down on the amount of sodium in your diet, you can always just avoid particular foods such as processed meats, or meats that have salty cures. Ham and pepperoni are meats that have a particularly high salt content, which is evident by the next day bloating, or the sense of feeling extremely thirsty for the rest of the day. Some of the big tips in regulating sodium intake is to just be conscious of what you are eating, and to have healthy portions.

Filed Under: Health, Health Care, Nutrition Tagged With: , , , ,

How to choose a healthy cereal bar

December 6, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Concerned about your health and nutrition? Well you are not alone,more and more Americans are starting to become aware of what types of food they put in their bodies and what these foods contain. Taking a tour down the grocery store aisle in order to find healthy snacks can be overwhelming. Everything looks good and the packaging makes sure to display positive facts such as “less sodium” or “more fiber”. How can an average everyday shopper know which cereal bars are truly healthy?

The first step is to look for the ingredients that you want to avoid. If you are really going for the health aspect and not necessarily what your taste buds crave, avoid sugars and bars coated with chocolate. Cereal bars like most things these days are notorious for having long lists of ingredients. The less ingredients there are the better the bar and the more natural the ingredients. The second step is to look for the ingredients that you want. Real fruit, whole grains, fiber, nuts. These ingredients will do a lot more for a body health wise than those loaded with additives, sugars and fats. Certain cereal bars with these ingredients may taste good and trick the mind into believing the body is better off with a small snack but in actuality they are loaded with things we could all do without.

If all of this is still too confusing making tasty, nutritional snack bars at home is a very good option. There are tons of easy and interesting recipes to try on the internet. This way health conscious snackers can get the taste they crave and save a little money as well. If nutrition conscious shoppers are going to choose a cereal bar as a breakfast alternative why not be sure to choose something with whole grains, limited sugar and real fruit. It’s simple but simple things are where the battle is won. Happy snacking!

Filed Under: Child Health, Health, Nutrition Tagged With: , , ,

New Food Labels on the Way

November 18, 2010 By Leave a Comment
The "Nutrition Facts" table indicate...
Image via Wikipedia

Have you ever stood in the aisle at a supermarket juggling your groceries and trying to check the nutrition labels on products to help you make smart choices on your food selection? If you’re one of the many moms trying to shop while juggling a kid or two, you know how much this can complicate the matter. After all, it’s not exactly easy to read nutrition labels in the first place, let alone when a child is tugging on one arm.

As America begins to make strides toward reducing the obesity rate in the country, nutrition labels are back in the news. So, what’s the problem with food labels? For starters, food companies generally follow a set formula for what to include, but they don’t always include the information the same way.

If you pick up two cans of peas from different manufacturers, you’re liable to see similar ingredients. But, one might include several trace ingredients in one category, while another lists all the ingredients out. That’s only one difference. Then you have to look and see how many servings the chart uses, as well as the number of calories the company uses to base its food nutrition on. These can all vary from person to person.

Many people want to take charge of their health and eating habits but find it too much of a hassle to wade through food labels. Because of this, watchdog organizations that focus on nutrition have been working to get food companies to make changes.

Finally, their efforts are bearing fruit. Two leading food companies, the Food Marketing Institute and Grocery Manufacturers Association, have agreed to make changes to food labels beginning in 2011. The revisions to food labels will fall under an initiative for straightforward nutrition information.

Shoppers can only hope the changes will help make it easier to decipher the statistics on the back of food packaging.

Enhanced by Zemanta
Filed Under: Nutrition Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Aging Brain

November 16, 2010 By Leave a Comment
My Grandfather (†); photo from January 17.JPG
Image via Wikipedia

Brain like all the other parts of the human body begins to wither away after a certain age. It is quite difficult to completely stop this natural phenomenon since anything that is born has to get old and die. But what can be done is to keep this natural process under check form uncontrolled aging. An aging brain is not something that you should look forward to since this will cause you to loose your skills, complete memory loss and overall dearth in cognitive skills. Our body’s natural defense system can fight against these aging process but it requires many vital nutrients to stay put in the face of old age.

Antioxidant are like water of eternal youth. Thorough the body these antioxidants scavenge the different cells and get rid of free radical oxygen scavengers. Some of the known and most effective antioxidants are Vitamin C and E, Beta Carotens, lutein, zeaxanthin, cathechins, lucopene, etc. These can be obtained from fruits and green vegetables like grapes, blue berries, and green seeds. Wine has many valuable anti oxidants, that is why French people do not have brain related powers in old age. Sunflower oil, liver, green tea extracts, wheat germ and nuts are excellent sources of anti oxidants that help in fighting the aging brain. Lycopene can be found in vegetables such as tomatoes. More specifically tomato ketchup and cooked tomatoes are better sources of lycopene. Polyphenols are found in green tea and along with this anti oxidant it has many other valuable brain enhancing substances. Isoflavones can be found in soy seeds. Isoflavones are excellent sources of anti oxidants that balance the intensity of oestrogen. Almost all the vitamins are important for the normal functioning of the brain. Hence make sure you supply these nutrients in abundant quantities if you hade being old. Who doesn’t?

Enhanced by Zemanta
Filed Under: Health Care, Nutrition Tagged With: , , ,

Is Food Medicine?

November 16, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Logo of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration ...
Image via Wikipedia

Can eating a red fruit on a daily basis actually keep a physician away? Research shows that eating the wrong types of food can contribute to all kinds of terrible health conditions, including diabetes, cardiovascular problems, and obesity. So, why wouldn’t eating better food act as a kind of medicine in and of itself?

That’s the philosophy of some of the leading food manufacturers in America. Corporations like Nestle are looking for ways to market to people who want to blend health with medicine. To that end, Nestle has formed the Nestle Institute of Health Science and the Nestle Science S.A. The goal of these departments will be to focus on finding ways to treat various health issues.

It’s too early to tell what type of products Nestle will develop or what type of benefits, if any, the food might have. Some also wonder whether this move is worth the risk. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has been working to investigate unsubstantiated claims from companies selling miracle foods.

Some companies are able to make bold health claims because their products fall under natural categories. Items such as vitamins and herbs can use labels touting health benefits, as long as they include a disclaimer that says the FDA has not approved of the claims. Depending on the exact situation, though, the FDA is able to sue manufacturers for false advertising.

As a case in point, the FDA recently brought a lawsuit against the couple who own and sell POM Wonderful. The pomegranate juice claims to help with a variety of conditions, including erectile dysfunction, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes. Other products to face lawsuits have claimed to treat Alzheimer’s, diabetes, and other serious medical conditions.

If Nestle wants to succeed as selling its food as medicine, it should prepare to go through the same steps as any other pharmaceutical company. Just because the packaging is fruit instead of a capsule doesn’t change the role of a medication.

Enhanced by Zemanta
Filed Under: Doctors Notes, Health Care, Nutrition Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Nutrition Challenge Encourages Arizona Schools

November 14, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Logo of Health Resources and Services Administ...
Image via Wikipedia

Many people believe kids are picky eaters and that trying to get them to eat fresh fruits and vegetables is akin to waging a war. But as more schools adopt healthier menus, parents are learning this old adage may not be true.

Just ask students at elementary schools throughout Arizona, and they’ll tell you what their favorite fruit is. Lunchroom choices include oranges, kiwis, watermelon, and strawberries. Students can find these fruits on the salad bar.

As a gymnast, sixth-grade student Sarai Meza likes the option of fresh fruit. She feels it makes her smarter and provides her with the energy she needs to get through three hours of practice each night.

While part of the new options stem from schools wanting to provide students with good nutrition, another aspect is motivation from the US Department of Agriculture, which hosts the HealthierUS School Challenge. To date, only 875 schools across the nation have met the standards set forth in the challenge, and two of those schools are in Arizona.

According to statistics from the US Department of Health and Human Services, over 30 percent of children between the ages of 10 and 17 in Arizona fall are overweight. Improving nutrition in schools may be a key contributor to reduce this number.

As part of the challenge, schools receive cash incentive prizes ranging from $500 to $2,000. Schools can earn recognition at four levels ranging from bronze to gold with distinction. Lake Valley Elementary School won silver recognition, while Washington Elementary won gold.

The change in the nutrition program at schools has an added benefit. It takes the focus off individuals. Instead of trying to change one person’s habits, it aims to create a healthier environment for all students.

As more students and parents become aware of the benefits of a healthy environment, especially when it comes to nutrition, Arizona may see the obesity rate begin to drop and the overall health of its kids increase.

Enhanced by Zemanta
Filed Under: Health Care, Nutrition Tagged With: , , , , , , ,
« Older Posts