Seven Ways to Get Whole Grains in Your Diet

Seven Ways to Get Whole Grains in Your Diet

Most grains, once ground into a flour act like sugar in the body. As you may have already learned on your own or heard during the fast growing debate for consuming less processed flour, this can cause weight gain and an imbalance of blood- sugar. So when trying to take in your daily grain opt for whole kernels, they are much better for your health.

1.      The first step is to choose whole- kernel grains whenever possible. Examples of whole grains: wild rice, millet, quinoa, buckwheat groats, whole wheat berries and hulled barley. These are termed unbroken grains. Another option is steel cut oats.  Because they are unbroken they are more filling and slower to digest giving you a gratifying feeling of fullness.

2.      Attempt to eat more sprouted grains. Sprouting grains are easier to digest and higher in protein which help to control the degree the grains sugars are metabolized.

3.      When baking try supplementing flour with nuts or seed meals. Great alternatives include: flax, coconut, almonds and cashews. Nuts can be higher in protein and lower in carbohydrates so look to this as a wonderful substitute.

4.      When shopping look for labels that state what you’re buying is “whole grain.”  This means the entire grain must be present. 

5.      If you’re choosing gluten free don’t do so excessively. Remember everything in moderation. A lot of gluten free goods do not contain fiber and contain a great deal of sugar that the body does not need.

6.      As hard as it may sound, try going without flour. This will help stabilize blood sugars and restore the natural balance of the body.

7.      And lastly, contemplate removing grains from your diet completely. There is actually no requirement for grains in your diet. By doing this you will allow for more whole leafy greens and vegetables into your diet. 

5 Ways to Detox Your Home

5 Ways to Detox Your Home

11.      Did you know that a great deal of dirt that is in your home comes from the dirt on your shoes? Eight – five percent of dirt is tracked in by your shoes. The most common way to alleviate this problem is to remove your shoes before entering your home.

22.      When trying to eat healthy it helps to avoid foods that are sprayed with pesticides. The twelve foods that are sprayed heavily with pesticides are: apples, celery, strawberries, peaches, spinach, nectarines (imported), grapes (imported), sweet bell peppers, potatoes, blueberries (domestic), lettuce and kale/collards.

Keep in mind, you do not have to avoid these foods but when purchasing them, buy organic, this will help lessen the exposure of pesticides.

Now on the other side, there are fifteen foods that have the least amount of pesticides. They include: onions, corn, pineapples, avocado, asparagus, sweet peas, mangos, eggplant, cantaloupe (domestic), kiwi, cabbage, watermelon, sweet potatoes, grapefruit and mushrooms.

33.    When cleaning your home the last thing you would want to do is bring in harsh chemicals that can do more harm than good.  The best way to avoid doing this is to purchase cleaners that biodegradable and nontoxic.

44.      When painting your home make sure to use paints that are nontoxic and do not contain volatile organic compounds (voc).  Paints that contain VOC’s can trigger breathing problems and prompt an allergic reaction.

55.      Air fresheners are popular in our homes and cars. It is not uncommon to see different types, oil, aerosol and solids. Beware, artificial scents are distributing chemicals in the air and may cause an allergic reaction.

The Claim: Doing cardiovascular exercise on an empty stomach burns more fat.

By ANAHAD O'CONNOR

THE FACTS

Working out while hungry may fly in the face of conventional wisdom, but many athletes and gym-goers push themselves on empty stomachs in the belief they'll burn more fat.

The idea, advocated in popular fitness books over the past decade, is that exercising on an empty stomach forces the body to dip into fat stores for fuel instead of the carbohydrates quickly available from a pre-workout meal or snack. But while it seems to make sense, research shows that exercising in this way doesn't offer any benefit and may even work against you.

After reviewing years of research on the subject, a report published this year in Strength and Conditioning Journal concluded that the body burns roughly the same amount of fat regardless of whether you eat before a workout. But you're likely to lose muscle by exercising in a depleted state, the report found, and without fuel to aid the workout, exercise intensity and overall calorie burn will be reduced.

One of the studies reviewed in that report looked at cyclists when they trained after eating and when they trained while fasting. When they trained with nothing in their stomachs, about 10 percent of the calories they burned came from protein, including lost muscle, the researchers wrote.

In a separate study published in 2002, scientists found an additional benefit from a pre-workout meal: Healthy women who consumed 45 grams of carbohydrates before their workouts ended up eating less throughout the remainder of the day.

THE BOTTOM LINE

Exercising on an empty stomach does not help burn more fat.

This is a more complete version of the story than the one that appeared in print.

The Claim: A Sunscreen Chemical Can Have Toxic Side Effects

By ANAHAD O’CONNOR

Sunscreen is supposed to protect skin. But some people suspect that a chemical in sunscreen, absorbed through the skin, may be even more hazardous than the sun’s rays.

The concerns stem from a small body of research indicating that oxybenzone, which blocks ultraviolet light, may mimic the effects of estrogen in the body and promote the growth of cancer cells. One study found that rats eating high doses of the chemical experienced side effects like abnormal uterine growth.

But in March, researchers at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York published an independent report examining all the evidence on the subject and concluded that the alarming findings from early animal studies relied on unrealistic dosages. In rat study, for instance, the animals were fed levels of oxybenzone that would never be achieved in humans through normal exposure to sunscreen.

The researchers also reviewed the data on oxybenzone tested on humans. Men and women do seem to absorb small levels through normal sunscreen use, but there was no evidence that it set off hormonal changes. Nor did the researchers find evidence of toxicity. While the idea of a compound in sunscreen being absorbed through the skin may sound alarming, the report’s authors pointed out that this commonly occurs with skin care products.

For those who have reservations, some sunscreens are now made without oxybenzone, though they may not offer the same ultraviolet protection.

THE BOTTOM LINE

Exposure to oxybenzone, through normal sunscreen use, is safe, studies find.

Soda Makers Scramble to Fill Void as Sales Drop

By STEPHANIE STROM Published: May 15, 2012

In much the same way their ancestors on the prairie had to check their guns at the door of the saloon, the 320 students in the Faulkton Area School District in tiny Faulkton, S.D., will be required to dispose of all carbonated soda containers before stepping into school buildings.

“We’re not trying to be the pop police or anything, but we felt like we were sending a mixed message by having a healthy lunch program and yet letting everyone walk around with sodas with a bunch of sugar in them,” said Joel Price, superintendent of the district.

Although schools have been removing sodas and other sugary drinks from vending machines for the last few years, the Faulkton district is one of the first in the country to institute a ban, according to the Alliance for a Healthier Generation, which works to reduce childhood obesity.

The school cafeteria will serve water, low-fat milk and fruit juices, and those beverages, as well as sports drinks and noncaffeinated diet sodas sold in vending machines, are all that will be available on school property. “Sure, there will be some opposition to it, but this is the way things are changing, like it or not,” said Kyle Ortmeier, the 17-year-old behind the school’s wellness campaign.

Cold, bubbly, sweet soda, long the American Champagne, is becoming product non grata in more places these days. Schools are removing sugary soft drinks from vending machines at a faster pace, and local governments from San Antonio to Boston are stepping up efforts to take them out of public facilities as the nation’s concerns about obesity and its costs grow.

Last year, the average American drank slightly under two sodas a day, a drop in per capita consumption of about 16 percent since the peak in 1998, according to Beverage Digest, a trade publication.

What began as a slow decline accelerated in the middle of the last decade and now threatens some of the best-known brands in the business. Coke and Pepsi are relying more than ever on the “flat” drinks and bottled waters in their portfolios and on increases in the price of sodas, forcing die-hard drinkers to pay more to feed their sugar habits.

“The question is, are we seeing a modest, multiyear decline that will bottom out? Or are we seeing the beginning of a paradigm shift away from carbonated soft drinks?” said John Sicher, publisher of Beverage Digest and a longtime observer of the industry. “I don’t think anyone knows yet, but I think there are continuing headwinds against the category that aren’t abating.”

Health advocates are cautiously optimistic about the decline. “It is really important because sugary soft drinks are the No. 1 source of calories in our diets,” said Margo Wootan, director of nutrition policy at the Center for Science in the Public Interest. “We get more calories from sodas and sugary drinks than any other individual food — cake, cookies, pizza, anything.”

But Ms. Wootan and others are worried about what may be taking the place of carbonated soft drinks in the American diet. They note the increasing appetite for energy drinks, loaded with sugar as well as caffeine, and noncarbonated sports drinks, which may have as much sugar as sodas.

“This is the next stage of where battle lines being drawn,” said Dr. Harold Goldstein, executive director of the California Center for Public Health Advocacy, who often totes around a jar filled with two and a third cups of sugar, the amount consumed by drinking a soda every day for one week. “Beverage companies are putting more and more emphasis on selling fortified beverages, as if fortified means healthier when in fact it often means more salt added to sugar.”

Not surprisingly, the country’s largest soda companies insist their carbonated soft drinks business will still grow, if not at as fast a clip as it has historically. “This is not a zero-sum game,” said Sandy Douglas, president of Coca-Cola North America.

But even they concede that unless the industry stumbles upon what it calls the holy grail, an all-natural sweetener with no calories, the future is going to be more firmly anchored in noncarbonated drinks. “The health and wellness trend is huge, permanent and important,” Mr. Douglas said. “My crystal ball says that a smart beverage company will sell a variety of products, and some of them will have bubbles and some of them won’t.”

Coca-Cola and its competitors have spent the last two decades decreasing their reliance on carbonated soft drinks anyway.

For most of its history, for instance, PepsiCo sold Pepsi. It bought Mountain Dew in 1964 and 20 years later, introduced a soda called Slice. It bought the international rights to 7Up and added Mug Root Beer to its lineup in 1986.

It played around with those brands, adding diet and other versions. Then, in 1992, it signed a deal with Lipton to sell ready-to-drink teas that initiated a spate of joint ventures, acquisitions and new product introductions. It added brands like Aquafina, SoBe and Sierra Mist — many not carbonated.

 “As a business, we first saw this coming several years ago, which led us to get ahead of it with things like Gatorade and Tropicana that have done very well for us,” said Simon Lowden, chief marketing officer for PepsiCo’s North American beverage arm.

The competition, Coca-Cola and Dr Pepper, pursued much the same strategy. All three companies amassed stables of brands that took them far beyond their foundations in carbonated soda, though it remained the cash cow.

At the time, Mr. Lowden said, they were driven by growing multiculturalism on the home front and their expanding global footprint, but their broad portfolios also have cushioned them from the impact of changing attitudes toward soda as the nation wages its war on obesity.

Rufina Cowboy realized how big a role it played in her weight when her daughters Tamara Lewis, 12, and Lisa Cowboy, 11, persuaded her to go on a diet after participating in a program in their hometown, Cuba, N.M. The program, aimed at teaching children about healthy eating, is underwritten by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

Ms. Cowboy started walking more, eating fresh fruits and vegetables and cutting back on meats. “I kept in there, walking on the trail here and eating better, trying to lose weight, but it wasn’t working,” she said.

Her doctor told her it might be the soda she was drinking. “I said, ‘I don’t drink that much,’ but then he added up the sugar in what I was drinking, and it was 25 pounds a year,” Ms. Cowboy said. “I said, ‘Oh, my gosh.’ ” She now drinks mostly water.

Lisa used to drink Dr Pepper. “It makes you dehydrated,” she said. Both she and Tamara, who has juvenile diabetes, have lost weight. Their mother has lost 20 pounds.

In spite of consumers like the Cowboys, beverage companies have been making more money on carbonated soft drinks by raising prices. That allowed revenue from carbonated soft drinks to reach a record high last year of $75.2 billion in the United States, according to Beverage Digest.

In one effort to assuage health-conscious consumers, the companies have been making smaller packages with a wider range of calories. Coca-Cola used to sell roughly eight sizes of packaging, from six-packs of 8-ounce cans to 2-liter plastic bottles. Today it sells more than twice as many types of packages, from a 32-pack of cans sold in warehouse stores to six-packs of 7.5-ounce “mini” cans, sales of which, Mr. Douglas said, “are on fire.”

The big three beverage companies are also endlessly tinkering with combinations of sweeteners and sugars to lower calories without altering taste. PepsiCo, for instance, introduced Pepsi Next, which uses a blend of sweeteners to deliver half the calories of a standard Pepsi, and on Monday, Coke announced it would test-market similarly slimmed-down versions of Sprite and Fanta

Dr Pepper Snapple has gone even further with 10-calorie versions using a blend of artificial sweeteners and high-fructose corn syrup in many of its carbonated soft drinks. “We have to innovate in ways of getting calories out of beverages and still providing the taste experience people don’t find in today’s diet drinks,” said Jim Trebilcock, executive vice president at Dr Pepper.

Most recently, the beverage companies have gone on the offense against New York City’s longstanding campaign against soft drinks with their first advertising ever in the city subways, promoting these strategies as strides to combat obesity. “We’re dedicated to helping you choose what’s right for you,” one ad says. 

Taking Calcium May Pose Heart Risks

Body | By ANAHAD O'CONNOR| May 24, 2012, 1:07 pm

Calcium supplements, long recommended for stronger bones, may be bad for the heart, a large new study confirms. The study found that taking extra calcium may raise the risk of a heart attack.

In recent years, some health authorities had hoped that calcium supplements, in addition to building bones, might also provide consumers with cardiovascular and other benefits. Some research, for example, has shown that people with higher levels of the mineral in their diet tend to have lower rates of hypertension, obesity and Type 2 diabetes.

But while higher levels of calcium from food intake may yet prove to be good for the heart, research suggests that the same does not hold true for calcium purchased over the counter. A study from 2010, for example, a large meta-analysis that looked at data on more than 8,000 adults over four years, found that those who were taking calcium supplements — a minimum of 500 milligrams a day — had nearly a 30 percent greater risk of heart attack than those who were not.

Researchers caution that dietary studies can be unreliable, since so many factors come into play, and people may not recall their dietary or supplement-taking histories accurately in questionnaires. In addition, the findings reflect a correlation, which does not necessarily mean causation when it comes to linking certain foods or nutrients with a particular health outcome.

The latest study, published online in the journal Heart, was the largest and most detailed to date on calcium intake and disease, involving more than 24,000 people who were taking part in a large continuing analysis called the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition. The subjects, ages 35 to 64 at the start of the research, were followed for 11 years and questioned about things like their health, their food intake and their supplement use.

In an attempt to rule out or minimize the effects of other factors that contribute to heart disease and could complicate the results, the authors took into account age, physical activity, body mass index, diet, and alcohol and cigarette use when conducting their analyses. After adjusting for these factors, they found that people who had what they called a “moderate” intake of calcium — 820 milligrams a day of calcium from all sources, both dietary and supplements — had a roughly 30 percent lower risk of a heart attack than those with the lowest calcium intake. People who had had a greater intake, above 1,100 milligrams daily, did not see their risk lowered any further.

But looking specifically at supplements presented a more alarming picture. People who got their calcium almost exclusively from supplements were more than twice as likely to have a heart attack compared with those who took no supplements. The researchers speculated that taking calcium in supplement form causes blood levels of the mineral to quickly spike to harmful levels, whereas getting it from food may be less dangerous because the calcium is absorbed in smaller amounts at various points throughout the day.

The authors of the study said their findings indicate that people getting their calcium from supplements should do so “with caution.”

“Sufficient calcium intake is important, but my recommendation would be to get calcium from food, like low-fat milk and dairy products and mineral water rich in calcium, rather than from supplements,” said Dr. Sabine Rohrmann, an author of the study and a professor with the Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine at the University of Zurich. Health authorities recommend that most adults get about 1,100 milligrams a day.

An editorial that accompanied the study reflected a similar sentiment, saying that the safety issues and doubts swirling around calcium supplements should lead doctors and health officials to discourage their use.

“We should return to seeing calcium as an important component of a balanced diet,” the editorial stated, “and not as a low-cost panacea to the universal problem of postmenopausal bone loss.”

The Lingering Effects of Whiplash

The Lingering Effects of Whiplash

Soft-tissue Injuries of the Cervical Spine 15-year Follow-up

Key Points from Dan Murphy

1)      At a mean of 15.5 years post whiplash trauma, 70% of whiplash-injured patients continued to complain of symptoms referable to the original accident.

2)      Long-term symptoms from whiplash injury include neck pain, arm paresthesia, back pain, headache, dizziness, and tinnitus.

3)      Women and older patients have a worse outcome from whiplash injuries.

4)      Radiating arm pain is more common in those with severe symptoms.

5)      Between 10 and 15 years after the accident, 18% of the patients had improved, whereas 28% had deteriorated.

6)      Soft-tissue injuries to the cervical spine may give persisting symptoms.

7)      Most whiplash-injured patients reach their final state by two years after being injured, but this study shows ongoing symptom fluctuation between years 10 to 15.

8)      At the 15-year follow-up, neck pain was present in 65% and low-back pain was present in 48%.

9)      80% of women and 50% of men continued to have symptoms at 15 years.

10)   Back pain and tinnitus increased between years 10 and 15.

11)   Symptoms remained static in 54%, improved in 18% and worsened in 28%.

12)   Degenerative changes are associated with a worse prognosis for recovery.

13)   60% of symptomatic patients had not seen a doctor in the previous five years because the doctors were unable to help them.

14)   18% had taken early retirement due to health problems, which they related to the whiplash injury.

15)   Whiplash symptoms do not improve after settlement of litigation.

16)   Most radiating pain is referral from the facets, and not radicular.

17)   Chronic whiplash symptoms will cause an abnormal psychological assessment after 3 months.

18)   In this study, 100% of patients with severe ongoing problems had cervical spine degeneration.

C5 Radiculopathy

C5 Radiculopathy

With radiculopathy involving C5, there typically is no pain distal to the elbow and no numbness or paresthesia in the hand. The patient generally reports cervical pain along with pain in the shoulder, medical border of the scapula, and upper arm. Paresthesia or numbness or both may be seen over the deltoid area and radial aspect of the upper arm. The biceps reflex may be decreased or absent, although this is less likely than with C6 radiculopathy. Motor loss involves shoulder abduction. 

Foods to Avoid

AVOID:

Ripened cheeses (Cheddar, Emmentaler, Stilton, Brie, Camembert)

                              (permissible cheeses: American, cottage, cream, Velveeta)

Herring, pickled or dried

Chocolate

Anything fermented, pickled, or marinated

Sour cream (no more than ½ cup daily)

Nuts, peanut butter

Sourdough bread, breads, and crackers containing cheese or chocolate

Broad beans, lima beans, fava beans, snow peas

Foods containing monosodium glutamate (MSG)-soy sauce, meat tenderizers, seasoned salt

Figs, raisins, papayas, avocados, red plums (no more than ½ cup daily)

Citrus fruits (no more than ½ cup daily)

Bananas (no more than ½ cup daily)

Pizza

Excessive amounts of tea, coffee, or cola beverages (no more than 2 cups daily)

Sausage, bologna, pepperoni, salami, summer sausage, hot dogs

Chicken livers, pate

Alcoholic beverages: (If you do drink, limit yourself to two normal size drinks selected from Haute Sauterne, Riesling, Seagram’s VO, Cutty Sark)

Diet and Headache

Diet and Headache

Below is a list of foods that may trigger headaches. Dietary triggers do not necessarily contribute to headaches in all patients. Certain foods may trigger attacks in certain individuals, but not on every occasion. Be your own expert by trying to log the foods you have eaten before a migraine attack and see whether their removal reduces or eliminates your headaches.

Dejerine’s Sign Clinical Pearl

Dejerine’s Sign

Clinical Pearl

Patients with radicular symptoms and pronounced Dejerine’s sign, especially if it is in the lumbar spine, should be told to bend the knees and lean into a wall during a cough or sneeze. This maneuver reduces intradiscal pressure and minimizes the effect of the cough or sneeze on the nerve root. A more worrisome situation is the sudden, unexpected absence of Dejerine’s sign when all other clinical findings indicate an active nerve root compression. The loss of the sign indicates fragmentation of the disc with momentary decompression of the nerve.

Distraction Test

The complaints of patients with chronic or degenerative conditions of the cervical disc are quite different from those of patients with acute conditions. Patients with chronic conditions experience intermittent episodes of pain, discomfort, and muscle spasm. Exacerbations come from exertion. Pain and stiffness may result from weather changes or unexplained causes. Radiculopathy is not always present. Hyporeflexia, motor weakness, and sensory disturbance (especially paresthesia) are common. 

Clinical Pearl

Brachial Plexus Tension Test

Clinical Pearl

Although the brachial plexus tension test involves shoulder joint movement, it also provides maximum stretch on the brachial plexus, which affects the lower branches of the cervical spine (C5) the most. If this test is positive, the early stages of a C5 nerve root disorder may be present along with the subtle signs of a positive doorbell sign (pain that occurs at the superior scapulovertebral border and radiates with the use of deep palpation of the C5 segment) and pain in the deltoid area. The deltoid pain is often misconstrued as an articular problem of the shoulder.

Functional Assessment

Functional Assessment

A complete functional assessment includes evaluation of the following:

1.      Self-care: ability to wash, bath, attend to toilet needs, dress, cook, and feed oneself

2.      Mobility: ability to stand, transfer, walk, negotiate stairs, drive, and use public transportation

3.      Lifestyle: nature of occupation, work capacity, and Social Security benefits

The Cervical Spine

The Cervical Spine

Axioms of Cervical Spine Assessment

1.      Cervical spine syndromes are extremely common and are probably the fourth most common cause of pain.

2.      At any given time, 9% of men and 12% of women have neck pain with or without arm and hand pain, and 35% of the population can remember having had neck pain at some time.

3.      The cervical spine is the origin of a large proportion of shoulder, elbow, hand, and wrist disorders.

4.      Most people who develop pain in the neck do not seek medical attention because they regard such pain as a part of life, so they simply wait for it to disappear.

Your Top 10 Superfoods


When it comes to ditching unwanted pounds, these key ingredients are as powerful as they are tasty. Add them to your plate to lose weight!

 

Wild Salmon

Slimming superpowers: The fish's omega-3 fatty acids could help you fight flab more effectively. They alter the expression of certain genes, shifting your body to burn fat rather than store it.
The amazing proof: In a study analyzing the diets of 35,000 women, published in Public Health Nutrition, those subjects who ate oily fish such as salmon two to four times per week had the lowest basal metabolic indexes, a common measure of body fat.

Apples

Slimming superpowers: This fruit's 4 to 5 grams of fiber not only are filling but also help ferry out some of the fat and calories you take in from other foods.
The amazing proof: People who ate an apple 15 minutes before lunching on cheese tortellini consumed 187 fewer calories in total than those who snacked on nothing beforehand, a study from Penn State University in University Park determines. How about them apples?

Quinoa

Slimming superpowers: A complete protein, quinoa has all the essential amino acids needed to build metabolism-revving muscle.
The amazing proof: Reduced-calorie dieters eating about 115 g of protein daily lost 22 percent more fat after four months than those who ate 70 g per day, The Journal of Nutrition reports.

Lentils

Slimming superpowers: These legumes are rich in resistant starch (RS), a carbohydrate that may encourage fat burning and shrink fat cells.
The amazing proof: When study participants enjoyed a meal with 5 g of RS—about what you get from 3/4 cup cooked lentils—they burned 23 percent more fat over 24 hours than when they had a meal without the starch, researchers at the University of Colorado in Denver say.

Olive Oil

Slimming superpowers: Healthful monounsaturated fats found in olive oil could potentially switch on genes related to fat burning and storage.
The amazing proof: Dieters on a low-cal plan emphasizing monounsaturated fats, protein and complex carbs lost almost double the weight that dieters who ate the same calories but less total fat and protein and more carbs lost, a study in the Archives of Internal Medicine reveals.

Eggs

Slimming superpowers: The breakfast staple is loaded with choline, a compound known to help block fat absorption.
The amazing proof: After eight weeks, dieters who ate two eggs, toast and jelly for breakfast five days a week lost 65 percent more weight than those who had a same-calorie bagel breakfast without eggs, according to a study in the International Journal of Obesity.

Yogurt

Slimming superpowers: Lowfat and nonfat Greek and regular yogurts contain 20 percent or more of your daily calcium needs. The mineral slows production of cortisol, a hormone that encourages belly-flab buildup.
The amazing proof: People on a low-cal diet that included yogurt lost 81 percent more belly fat than those on a similar but no-yogurt plan, a study from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville concludes. This dairy is a must-do.

Sweet Potatoes

Slimming superpowers: These spuds have RS, the same carbs found in lentils that may turn up the body's fat-scorching furnace. RS may also increase production of peptide hormone compounds that signal the brain to stop eating.
The amazing proof: After a breakfast and a lunch containing RS, subjects ate about 10 percent fewer calories over the next 24 hours compared with when they had similar meals with a placebo, research from the University of Surrey indicates.

Kiwifruit

Slimming superpowers: A large kiwi has 84 milligrams of vitamin C—more than a day's quota. C helps form carnitine, a compound that transports fat into cell mitochondria, where it's burned for energy during exercise.
The amazing proof: People with low blood levels of C burned 10 percent less fat per pound of body weight while walking than did those with normal levels of C, a study at Arizona State University in Mesa shows. But when subjects got a dose of C, their fat burning increased fourfold.

Edamame

Slimming superpowers: The green soybeans supply 17 g of protein per cup, and your body torches more calories digesting protein than it does processing carbs and fat.
The amazing proof: Researchers from the Federal University of Vicosa found that people burned about 70 more calories per day when their A.M. meal contained soy protein versus other types of protein. Cool beans!

Sleep Tips Part 7

How to sleep better tip 7: Know when to see a sleep doctor

If you’ve tried the tips above, but are still struggling with sleep problems, you may have a sleep disorder that requires professional treatment. Consider scheduling a visit with a sleep doctor if, despite your best efforts at self–help, you are still troubled by any of the following symptoms:

§  Persistent daytime sleepiness or fatigue

§  Loud snoring accompanied by pauses in breathing

§  Difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep

§  Unrefreshing sleep

§  Frequent morning headaches

§  Crawling sensations in your legs or arms at night

§  Inability to move while falling asleep or waking up

§  Physically acting out dreams during sleep

§  Falling asleep at inappropriate times

10 Ways to Protect Your Eyes

10 Ways to Protect Your Eyes

Your eyes can process 36,000 bits of information every hour. That's why it's so important to protect your vision with good eye-health habits. If you want to see clearly for years to come, follow these 10 steps to prevent vision problems.

How are your peepers doing? Take this eye health quiz to find out.

1. Know Your Family's Eye Health History

Does glaucoma run in your family? Does anyone have cataracts? Many eye problems are hereditary. If you know you have a high risk for developing an eye disease or eye condition, you can take steps to prevent it.

2. Schedule an Eye Exam

It's important to have an eye exam to make sure your eyes are healthy and seeing their best. A visual acuity test will help your optometrist determine if you need eyeglasses or contact lenses for vision correction. A dilated-eye exam should also be done to check your eyes for any damage or signs of disease, such as glaucoma, cataracts, or age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

Are you at risk for these 3 common eye problems?

3. Eat Right to Nourish Your Eyes
It's true that beta carotene in carrots is good for your eyes, but so are ample amounts of vitamin C, vitamin E, zinc, and omega-3 fatty acids. They all help reduce your risk of AMD, a common eye disease that can lead to blindness. Fill up on oranges, strawberries, and leafy greens for vitamin C. Add turkey and chicken for zinc. Eat almonds and peanut butter for vitamin E, and salmon, tuna, or halibut for omega-3s.

12 recipes for healthy eyes

4. Wear Your Sunglasses
Sunglasses help prevent cataracts and crow's feet. Ultraviolet (UV) rays can damage your eyes in any season, and in morning and late afternoon, too -- not just midday. Choose sunglasses with large lenses -- or even wraparound lenses -- that offer 99% to 100% UVA and UVB radiation protection.

5. Exercise for Better Vision
Vigorous exercise, such as running, can protect your eyes from cataracts and AMD. Not a runner? Any workout that pumps up your cardio fitness, such as biking, roller skating, swimming, or lifting weights, can protect your eyesight by reducing inflammation in your body that can negatively impact your eyes.

6. Take Care of Contact Lenses to Prevent Eye Infections
Always wash your hands thoroughly before handling contacts, and follow the instructions for cleaning, disinfecting, and storing them to reduce your risk of eye infections. Also, wear and replace contact lenses as recommended by your eye doctor.

7. Treat Dry, Irritated Eyes
Are your eyes itchy, scratchy, burning, or dry? As you age, normal tear production decreases, which can lead to dry eyes. To prevent dry eyes, eat more foods with vitamin A (like cantaloupe, carrots, and mangoes), use a humidifier to moisten dry air, and wear sunglasses to protect your eyes on bright or windy days. Some prescription and over-the-counter meds, such as antihistamines and pain relievers, can reduce your eyes' ability to create natural tears, so ask your doc for alternatives.

8. Prevent Computer Eyestrain
Most of us forget to blink and take breaks as often as we should while working on the computer or watching TV, which can make eyes tired and dry. It might even give you a headache. Follow the 20-20-20 rule to reduce eyestrain: Every 20 minutes, look away about 20 feet in front of you for 20 seconds.

9. Check Your Eyes for Signs of Other Health Problems
If your optometrist notices that blood vessels in your eyes look stiff, form kinks or loops, or look bronze or gray instead of red, it could be a sign of high blood pressure or diabetes, which can harm your eyesight. Blocked blood vessels or inflammation in your eyes may signal autoimmune disease that can cause vision problems, pain, sensitivity to light, and red, itchy eyes.

10. Use Protection to Prevent Eye Injuries
Whether playing sports or doing chores around the house, protect your eyes to reduce your chance of eye injury. If you normally wear eyeglasses while playing tennis or baseball, be sure your frames are made of polycarbonate -- a super-strong plastic. When using household cleaning products, wear safety goggles to shield your eyes from chemical splashes, turn the spray nozzle away from you, and wash your hands thoroughly after using cleaning chemicals.

Sleep Tips Part 6

How to sleep better tip 6: Ways to get back to sleep

It’s normal to wake briefly during the night. In fact, a good sleeper won’t even remember it. But if you’re waking up during the night and having trouble falling back asleep, the following tips may help.

§  Stay out of your head. The key to getting back to sleep is continuing to cue your body for sleep, so remain in bed in a relaxed position. Hard as it may be, try not to stress over the fact that you’re awake or your inability to fall asleep again, because that very stress and anxiety encourages your body to stay awake. A good way to stay out of your head is to focus on the feelings and sensations in your body.

§  Make relaxation your goal, not sleep. If you are finding it hard to fall back asleep, try a relaxation technique such as visualization, deep breathing, or meditation, which can be done without even getting out of bed. Remind yourself that although they’re not a replacement for sleep, rest and relaxation still help rejuvenate your body.

§  Do a quiet, non-stimulating activity. If you’ve been awake for more than 15 minutes, try getting out of bed and doing a quiet, non-stimulating activity, such as reading a book. Keep the lights dim so as not to cue your body clock that it’s time to wake up. Also avoid screens of any kind—computers, TV, cell phones, iPads—as the type of light they emit is stimulating to the brain. A light snack or herbal tea might help relax you, but be careful not to eat so much that your body begins to expect a meal at that time of the day.

§  Postpone worrying and brainstorming. If you wake during the night feeling anxious about something, make a brief note of it on paper and postpone worrying about it until the next day when you are fresh and it will be easier to resolve. Similarly, if a brainstorm or great idea is keeping you awake, make a note of it on paper and fall back to sleep knowing you’ll be much more productive and creative after a good night’s rest.

Sleep Tips Part 5

How to sleep better tip 5: Get anxiety and stress in check

Do you find yourself unable to sleep or waking up night after night? Residual stress, worry, and anger from your day can make it very difficult to sleep well. When you wake up or can’t get to sleep, take note of what seems to be the recurring theme. That will help you figure out what you need to do to get your stress and anger under control during the day:

If you can’t stop yourself from worrying, especially about things outside your control, you need to learn how to manage your thoughts. For example, you can learn to evaluate your worries to see if they’re truly realistic and learn to replace irrational fears with more productive thoughts. Even counting sheep is more productive than worrying at bedtime.

If the stress of managing work, family, or school is keeping you awake, you need help with stress management. By learning how to manage your time effectively, handle stress in a productive way, and maintain a calm, positive outlook, you’ll be able to sleep better at night.

Relaxation techniques for better sleep

Relaxation is beneficial for everyone, but especially for those struggling with sleep. Practicing relaxation techniques before bed is a great way to wind down, calm the mind, and prepare for sleep. Some simple relaxation techniques include:

§  Deep breathing. Close your eyes—and try taking deep, slow breaths—making each breath even deeper than the last.

§  Progressive muscle relaxation. Starting at your toes, tense all the muscles as tightly as you can, then completely relax. Work your way up from your feet to the top of your head.

§  Visualizing a peaceful, restful place. Close your eyes and imagine a place or activity that is calming and peaceful for you. Concentrate on how relaxed this place or activity makes you feel.

Sleep Tips Part 4

How to sleep better tip 4: Eat right and get regular exercise

Your daytime eating and exercise habits play a role in how well you sleep. It’s particularly important to watch what you put in your body in the hours leading up to your bedtime.

§  Stay away from big meals at night. Try to make dinnertime earlier in the evening, and avoid heavy, rich foods within two hours of bed. Fatty foods take a lot of work for your stomach to digest and may keep you up. Also be cautious when it comes to spicy or acidic foods in the evening, as they can cause stomach trouble and heartburn.

§  Avoid alcohol before bed. Many people think that a nightcap before bed will help them sleep. While it may make you fall asleep faster, alcohol reduces your sleep quality, waking you up later in the night. To avoid this effect, so stay away from alcohol in the hours before bed.

§  Cut down on caffeine. You might be surprised to know that caffeine can cause sleep problems up to ten to twelve hours after drinking it! Consider eliminating caffeine after lunch or cutting back your overall intake.

§  Avoid drinking too many liquids in the evening. Drinking lots of water, juice, tea, or other fluids may result in frequent bathroom trips throughout the night. Caffeinated drinks, which act as diuretics, only make things worse.

§  Quit smoking. Smoking causes sleep troubles in numerous ways. Nicotine is a stimulant, which disrupts sleep. Additionally, smokers actually experience nicotine withdrawal as the night progresses, making it hard to sleep.

If you’re hungry at bedtime

For some people, a light snack before bed can help promote sleep. When you pair tryptophan–containing foods with carbohydrates, it may help calm the brain and allow you to sleep better. For others, eating before bed can lead to indigestion and make sleeping more difficult. Experiment with your food habits to determine your optimum evening meals and snacks. If you need a bedtime snack, try:

§  Half a turkey sandwich

§  A small bowl of whole–grain, low–sugar cereal

§  Granola with low–fat milk or yogurt

§  A banana

You’ll also sleep more deeply if you exercise regularly. You don’t have to be a star athlete to reap the benefits—as little as twenty to thirty minutes of daily activity helps. And you don’t need to do all thirty minutes in one session. You can break it up into five minutes here, ten minutes there, and still get the benefits. Try a brisk walk, a bicycle ride, or even gardening or housework.

Some people prefer to schedule exercise in the morning or early afternoon as exercising too late in the day can stimulate the body, raising its temperature. Even if you prefer not to exercise vigorously at night, don’t feel glued to the couch, though. Relaxing exercises such as yoga or gentle stretching can help promote sleep.