High-fructose corn syrup (HFCS), the main ingredient in most soft drinks throughout the world, increases your triglyceride levels and your LDL (bad) cholesterol. These effects only occurred in the study participants who drank fructose -- not glucose.
Consumption of beverages containing fructose rose 135 percent between 1977 and 2001. Food and beverage manufacturers began switching their sweeteners from sucrose (table sugar) to corn syrup in the 1970s when they discovered that HFCS was not only cheaper to make, it was also much sweeter (processed fructose is nearly 20 times sweeter than table sugar), a switch that has drastically altered the American diet.
In 1966, sucrose made up 86 percent of sweeteners. Today, 55 percent of sweeteners used are made from corn.
Dr Mercola's Comments
In case you forgot, or never knew in the first place, the number one source of calories in the US is high fructose corn syrup. Let me say that in different words so you more fully appreciate the impact of this fact. Remember that fat has 250% more calories than sugar, but even with this major disadvantage, the food that most people get MOST of their calories from is sugar from corn, primarily in the form of soft drinks.
Even though I have known this for years, it is still shocking to me every time I reflect on the enormity of this truth. But, like W. Clement Stone, I believe that there is a nugget of good in this horrible fact. The good is that stopping this pernicious habit is one of the easiest things to do. Since this is such a pervasive problem in the US, we could make radically outrageous improvements in our health as a culture if we just simply stopped everyone from drinking soda.
I am HIGHLY confident that the health improvement would be FAR more profound than if everyone stopped smoking because elevated insulin levels are the foundation of nearly every chronic disease known to man, cancer, heart disease, diabetes, aging, arthritis, osteoporosis, you name it, and you will find elevated insulin levels as a primary factor.
This evidence of an increase in triglyceride levels and LDL (bad) cholesterol levels is just the latest among countless findings pointing to the dangers of High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS).
Part of what makes HFCS such an unhealthy product is that it is metabolized to fat in your body far more rapidly than any other sugar, and, because most fructose is consumed in liquid form, its negative metabolic effects are significantly magnified.
HFCS has also been linked to:
* Diabetes
* Obesity
* Metabolic Syndrome
The delusion that fructose is an acceptable form of sugar is quite prevalent in many nutritional circles. In fact, nearly all simple sugars are metabolized quickly and disrupt insulin levels, which contributes to most chronic illness. Eating small amounts of whole fruit will not provide tremendous amounts of fructose and should not be a problem for most people, unless diabetes or obesity is an issue but fruit juices, sodas and other beverages sweetened with fructose should be avoided.
To add insult to injury, the corn that the high fructose corn syrup is metabolized from nearly all comes from genetically modified corn which is fraught with its own well documented side effects and health concerns.
High fructose corn syrup is is not something that should be in your diet at all. But HFCS is the primary caloric sweetener in U.S. soft drinks. Researchers estimate that most Americans eat 132 calories of HFCS per day, while the top 20 percent of sweetener consumers eat over 300. And some, they say, eat as much as 700 calories per day of HFCS.
-thanks to the organic consumers association
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Thursday, December 30, 2010
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Eat This, Not That Article by David Zinczenko
Two out of three people in America today are either overweight or obese. That means every time you sit down in an airplane or a packed movie theater, more likely than not you’re going to wind up as the lean center of a fat sandwich. But as you look right and left and see nothing but heft, you can’t help but think, What happened?
How did we all get so darn fat?
Well, the simple answer is that we eat more calories. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that American men eat 7 percent more calories than they did in 1971; American women eat a whopping 18 percent more—an additional 335 calories a day! But the harder question is this: Why do we eat so many more calories? Are we suddenly more gluttonous? Do we have some kind of collective death wish? Is the entire country hellbent on qualifying for the next season of Biggest Loser?
No. There’s an even crazier reason: It’s the food!
We’ve added extra calories to traditional foods, often in cheap, mass-produced vehicles like high fructose corn syrup. These new freak foods are designed not by chefs, but by lab technicians packing every morsel with maximum calories at minimum cost—with little or no regard to dietary impact. Indeed, Eat This, Not That! 2011 has uncovered the truth about some of your favorite fast food and grocery store items and how they're causing you to pack on unnecessary pounds. It’s enough to kill your appetite, which—in these cases, anyway—would be a good thing.
Bonus Tip: Don't miss our year-end walk down The Restaurant Hall of Shame: The 20 Worst Foods of 2010!
THE FAST-FOOD HAMBURGER
The great American staple. Don’t worry, burgers really do come from cows—but have you ever wondered how those giant chains process and distribute so much meat so cheaply? And . . . are you sure you want to know?
The Truth: Most fast-food hamburger patties begin their voyage to your buns in the hands of a company called Beef Products. The company specializes in taking slaughterhouse trimmings—heads and hooves and the like—that are traditionally used only in pet food and cooking oil, and turning them into patties. The challenge is getting this byproduct meat clean enough for human consumption, as both E. coli and salmonella like to concentrate themselves in the fatty deposits.
The company has developed a process for killing beef-based pathogens by forcing the ground meat through pipes and exposing it to ammonia gas—the same chemical you might use to clean your bathroom. Not only has the USDA approved the process, but it's also allowed those who sell the beef to keep it hidden from their customers. At Beef Products’ behest, ammonia gas has been deemed a “processing agent” that need not be identified on nutrition labels. Never mind that if ammonia gets on your skin, it can cause severe burning, and if it gets in your eyes, it can blind you. Add to the gross-out factor the fact that after moving through this lengthy industrial process, a single beef patty can consist of cobbled-together pieces from different cows from all over the world—a practice that only increases the odds of contamination.
Eat This Instead: Losing weight starts in your own kitchen, by using the same ingredients real chefs have relied on since the dawn of the spatula. (Here are the 15 best dishes for quick and easy weight loss.) If you’re set on the challenge of eating fresh, single-source hamburger, pick out a nice hunk of sirloin from the meat case and have your butcher grind it up fresh. Hold the ammonia.
BETTY CROCKER'S BAC-O BITS
We’ve all been there before: A big bowl of lettuce or a steamy baked potato is set before us and the sudden desire for a bit of smoky, porky goodness pervades. We try to resist, but we grab for the bottle anyway: Mmmmm . . . bacon.
The Truth: Not quite. If it’s Bac-Os you grab for, just know that there’s not the slightest whiff of anything pork-like to be found in the bottle. So what are those little chips you’ve been shaking over your salads? Well, mostly soybeans. The bulk of each Bac-O is formed by tiny clumps of soy flour bound with trans-fatty, partially hydrogenated soybean oil and laced with artificial coloring, salt, and sugar. The result is a product that’s actually less healthy for your heart than the real thing!
Eat This Instead: Hormel makes a product called Real Bacon Bits, and as the name implies, it’s made with real bacon. And gram-for-gram, the real bacon actually has fewer calories than Betty Crocker’s Bac-Os. If Hormel can make a nutritionally superior product using real bacon, then why would you ever choose the artificial one that’s loaded with partially hydrogenated soybean oil?
PREMADE GUACAMOLE
When you buy bean dip, you expect it to be made from beans. And when you buy guacamole, it seems reasonable to expect it to be made from avocados. But is it?
The Truth: Most guacamoles with the word “dip” attached to the label suffer from a lack of real avocado. Take Dean’s Guacamole, for example. This guacamole dip is composed of less than 2 percent avocado; the rest of the green goo is a cluster of fillers and chemicals, including modified food starch, soybean oils, locust bean gum, and food coloring. Dean’s is not alone in this offense. In fact, this avocado caper was brought to light when a California woman filed a lawsuit against Kraft after she noticed “it just didn’t taste avocadoey.”
Eat This Instead: Avocados are loaded with fiber and heart-healthy monounsaturated fats. Trading the good stuff in for a bunch of fillers is cheating both your belly and your tastebuds. Either look for the real stuff (Wholly Guacamole makes a great guac), or mash up a bowl yourself. Scoop out the flesh of two avocados, combine with two cloves of minced garlic, a bit of minced onion, the juice of one lemon, chopped cilantro, one medium chopped tomato, and a pinch of salt.
Bonus Tip: Unlike packaged-food manufacturers, fast-food and sit-down restaurants don't typically rely on chemicals to enhance flavor. Instead, they pack in sugar and sodium, calorie counts be damned. Beware of The 10 Worst Fast Food Meals in America!
FRUIT ON THE BOTTOM YOGURT
It seems like the ideal breakfast or snack for a man or woman on the go—a perfect combination of yogurt and antioxidant-packed fruits, pulled together in one convenient little cup. But are these low-calorie dairy aisle staples really so good for you?
The Truth: While the yogurt itself offers stomach-soothing live cultures and a decent serving of protein, the sugar content of these seemingly healthy products is sky-high. The fruit itself is swimming in thick syrup—so much of it, in fact, that high-fructose corn syrup (and other such sweeteners) often shows up on the ingredients list well before the fruit itself. And these low-quality refined carbohydrates are the last thing you want for breakfast—Australian researchers found that people whose diets were high in carbohydrates had lower metabolisms than those who ate proportionally more protein. Not to mention, spikes in your blood sugar can wreck your short-term memory, according to a study in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Not what you need just before your urgent 9 a.m. meeting with the boss!
Eat This Instead: Plain Greek-style yogurt, mixed with real blueberries. We like Oikos and Fage brands—they’re jacked with about 15 to 22 grams of belly-filling protein, so they’ll help you feel satisfied for longer. And blueberries are another great morning add—scientists in New Zealand found that when they fed blueberries to mice, the rodents ate 9 percent less at their next meal.
Bonus Tip: Daily e-mails (or tweets) that contain weight-loss advice remind you of your goals and help you drop pounds, according to Canadian researchers. We're partial to our own Eat This, Not That! newsletter, and to the instant weight-loss secrets you'll get when you follow me on Twitter (twitter.com/davezinczenko).
TURKEY BACON
Pork bacon’s got a bad rap for wreaking havoc on your cholesterol. But is turkey bacon really any better?
The Truth: Stick with the pig. As far as calories go, the difference between “healthy” turkey bacon and “fatty” pig is negligible—and depending on the slice, turkey might sometimes tip the scales a touch more. Additionally, while turkey is indeed a leaner meat, turkey bacon isn’t made from 100 percent bird: One look at the ingredients list will show a long line of suspicious additives and extras that can’t possibly add anything of nutritional value. And finally, the sodium content of the turkey bacon is actually higher than what you’ll find in the kind that oinks—so if you’re worried about your blood pressure, opting for the original version is usually the smarter move.
Eat This Instead: Regular bacon. We like Hormel Black Label and Oscar Mayer Center Cut bacon for some low-cal, low-additive options.
REDUCED-FAT PEANUT BUTTER
Nothing makes a PB&J feel less indulgent like a scoop of low-fat Jif. It’s low fat, so it must be better for you . . . right?
The Truth: A tub of reduced-fat peanut butter indeed comes with a fraction less fat than the full-fat variety—they’re not lying about that. But what the food companies don’t tell you is that peanut oil—the fat in peanut butter—is a heart-healthy monounsaturated fat that can actually help fight weight gain, heart disease and diabetes! Instead, they’ve tried to cash in on the “low-fat” craze by replacing that healthy fat with maltodextrin, a carbohydrate used as a filler in many processed foods. This means you’re trading the healthy fat from peanuts for empty carbs, double the sugar, and a savings of a meager 10 calories.
Eat This Instead: The real stuff: no oils, fillers, or added sugars. Just peanuts and salt. Smucker’s Natural fits the bill, as do many other peanut butters out there. We especially like Peanut Butter & Co. Original Smooth Operator and Original Crunch Time.
Bonus Tip: The average American drinks 450 calories a day—a quarter of the calories you're supposed to consume during an entire day! Beware of The 20 Worst Drinks in America, 2010 Edition.
http://health.yahoo.net/experts/eatthis/truth-about-your-weight-gain
How did we all get so darn fat?
Well, the simple answer is that we eat more calories. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that American men eat 7 percent more calories than they did in 1971; American women eat a whopping 18 percent more—an additional 335 calories a day! But the harder question is this: Why do we eat so many more calories? Are we suddenly more gluttonous? Do we have some kind of collective death wish? Is the entire country hellbent on qualifying for the next season of Biggest Loser?
No. There’s an even crazier reason: It’s the food!
We’ve added extra calories to traditional foods, often in cheap, mass-produced vehicles like high fructose corn syrup. These new freak foods are designed not by chefs, but by lab technicians packing every morsel with maximum calories at minimum cost—with little or no regard to dietary impact. Indeed, Eat This, Not That! 2011 has uncovered the truth about some of your favorite fast food and grocery store items and how they're causing you to pack on unnecessary pounds. It’s enough to kill your appetite, which—in these cases, anyway—would be a good thing.
Bonus Tip: Don't miss our year-end walk down The Restaurant Hall of Shame: The 20 Worst Foods of 2010!
THE FAST-FOOD HAMBURGERThe great American staple. Don’t worry, burgers really do come from cows—but have you ever wondered how those giant chains process and distribute so much meat so cheaply? And . . . are you sure you want to know?
The Truth: Most fast-food hamburger patties begin their voyage to your buns in the hands of a company called Beef Products. The company specializes in taking slaughterhouse trimmings—heads and hooves and the like—that are traditionally used only in pet food and cooking oil, and turning them into patties. The challenge is getting this byproduct meat clean enough for human consumption, as both E. coli and salmonella like to concentrate themselves in the fatty deposits.
The company has developed a process for killing beef-based pathogens by forcing the ground meat through pipes and exposing it to ammonia gas—the same chemical you might use to clean your bathroom. Not only has the USDA approved the process, but it's also allowed those who sell the beef to keep it hidden from their customers. At Beef Products’ behest, ammonia gas has been deemed a “processing agent” that need not be identified on nutrition labels. Never mind that if ammonia gets on your skin, it can cause severe burning, and if it gets in your eyes, it can blind you. Add to the gross-out factor the fact that after moving through this lengthy industrial process, a single beef patty can consist of cobbled-together pieces from different cows from all over the world—a practice that only increases the odds of contamination.
Eat This Instead: Losing weight starts in your own kitchen, by using the same ingredients real chefs have relied on since the dawn of the spatula. (Here are the 15 best dishes for quick and easy weight loss.) If you’re set on the challenge of eating fresh, single-source hamburger, pick out a nice hunk of sirloin from the meat case and have your butcher grind it up fresh. Hold the ammonia.
BETTY CROCKER'S BAC-O BITSWe’ve all been there before: A big bowl of lettuce or a steamy baked potato is set before us and the sudden desire for a bit of smoky, porky goodness pervades. We try to resist, but we grab for the bottle anyway: Mmmmm . . . bacon.
The Truth: Not quite. If it’s Bac-Os you grab for, just know that there’s not the slightest whiff of anything pork-like to be found in the bottle. So what are those little chips you’ve been shaking over your salads? Well, mostly soybeans. The bulk of each Bac-O is formed by tiny clumps of soy flour bound with trans-fatty, partially hydrogenated soybean oil and laced with artificial coloring, salt, and sugar. The result is a product that’s actually less healthy for your heart than the real thing!
Eat This Instead: Hormel makes a product called Real Bacon Bits, and as the name implies, it’s made with real bacon. And gram-for-gram, the real bacon actually has fewer calories than Betty Crocker’s Bac-Os. If Hormel can make a nutritionally superior product using real bacon, then why would you ever choose the artificial one that’s loaded with partially hydrogenated soybean oil?
PREMADE GUACAMOLEWhen you buy bean dip, you expect it to be made from beans. And when you buy guacamole, it seems reasonable to expect it to be made from avocados. But is it?
The Truth: Most guacamoles with the word “dip” attached to the label suffer from a lack of real avocado. Take Dean’s Guacamole, for example. This guacamole dip is composed of less than 2 percent avocado; the rest of the green goo is a cluster of fillers and chemicals, including modified food starch, soybean oils, locust bean gum, and food coloring. Dean’s is not alone in this offense. In fact, this avocado caper was brought to light when a California woman filed a lawsuit against Kraft after she noticed “it just didn’t taste avocadoey.”
Eat This Instead: Avocados are loaded with fiber and heart-healthy monounsaturated fats. Trading the good stuff in for a bunch of fillers is cheating both your belly and your tastebuds. Either look for the real stuff (Wholly Guacamole makes a great guac), or mash up a bowl yourself. Scoop out the flesh of two avocados, combine with two cloves of minced garlic, a bit of minced onion, the juice of one lemon, chopped cilantro, one medium chopped tomato, and a pinch of salt.
Bonus Tip: Unlike packaged-food manufacturers, fast-food and sit-down restaurants don't typically rely on chemicals to enhance flavor. Instead, they pack in sugar and sodium, calorie counts be damned. Beware of The 10 Worst Fast Food Meals in America!
FRUIT ON THE BOTTOM YOGURTIt seems like the ideal breakfast or snack for a man or woman on the go—a perfect combination of yogurt and antioxidant-packed fruits, pulled together in one convenient little cup. But are these low-calorie dairy aisle staples really so good for you?
The Truth: While the yogurt itself offers stomach-soothing live cultures and a decent serving of protein, the sugar content of these seemingly healthy products is sky-high. The fruit itself is swimming in thick syrup—so much of it, in fact, that high-fructose corn syrup (and other such sweeteners) often shows up on the ingredients list well before the fruit itself. And these low-quality refined carbohydrates are the last thing you want for breakfast—Australian researchers found that people whose diets were high in carbohydrates had lower metabolisms than those who ate proportionally more protein. Not to mention, spikes in your blood sugar can wreck your short-term memory, according to a study in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Not what you need just before your urgent 9 a.m. meeting with the boss!
Eat This Instead: Plain Greek-style yogurt, mixed with real blueberries. We like Oikos and Fage brands—they’re jacked with about 15 to 22 grams of belly-filling protein, so they’ll help you feel satisfied for longer. And blueberries are another great morning add—scientists in New Zealand found that when they fed blueberries to mice, the rodents ate 9 percent less at their next meal.
Bonus Tip: Daily e-mails (or tweets) that contain weight-loss advice remind you of your goals and help you drop pounds, according to Canadian researchers. We're partial to our own Eat This, Not That! newsletter, and to the instant weight-loss secrets you'll get when you follow me on Twitter (twitter.com/davezinczenko).
TURKEY BACONPork bacon’s got a bad rap for wreaking havoc on your cholesterol. But is turkey bacon really any better?
The Truth: Stick with the pig. As far as calories go, the difference between “healthy” turkey bacon and “fatty” pig is negligible—and depending on the slice, turkey might sometimes tip the scales a touch more. Additionally, while turkey is indeed a leaner meat, turkey bacon isn’t made from 100 percent bird: One look at the ingredients list will show a long line of suspicious additives and extras that can’t possibly add anything of nutritional value. And finally, the sodium content of the turkey bacon is actually higher than what you’ll find in the kind that oinks—so if you’re worried about your blood pressure, opting for the original version is usually the smarter move.
Eat This Instead: Regular bacon. We like Hormel Black Label and Oscar Mayer Center Cut bacon for some low-cal, low-additive options.
REDUCED-FAT PEANUT BUTTERNothing makes a PB&J feel less indulgent like a scoop of low-fat Jif. It’s low fat, so it must be better for you . . . right?
The Truth: A tub of reduced-fat peanut butter indeed comes with a fraction less fat than the full-fat variety—they’re not lying about that. But what the food companies don’t tell you is that peanut oil—the fat in peanut butter—is a heart-healthy monounsaturated fat that can actually help fight weight gain, heart disease and diabetes! Instead, they’ve tried to cash in on the “low-fat” craze by replacing that healthy fat with maltodextrin, a carbohydrate used as a filler in many processed foods. This means you’re trading the healthy fat from peanuts for empty carbs, double the sugar, and a savings of a meager 10 calories.
Eat This Instead: The real stuff: no oils, fillers, or added sugars. Just peanuts and salt. Smucker’s Natural fits the bill, as do many other peanut butters out there. We especially like Peanut Butter & Co. Original Smooth Operator and Original Crunch Time.
Bonus Tip: The average American drinks 450 calories a day—a quarter of the calories you're supposed to consume during an entire day! Beware of The 20 Worst Drinks in America, 2010 Edition.
http://health.yahoo.net/experts/eatthis/truth-about-your-weight-gain
Monday, December 27, 2010
How the HCG Diet Works
As science and technology progresses, new methods of dieting and weight loss are developed. One diet, specifically for women, that was first suggested in the 1950s, has gained renewed prominence today as new methods of support, along with dietary and nutritional knowledge, makes it more viable. The diet is known as the
HCG diet is only effective when the two parts are combined. Taking HCG alone will not do the trick.
HCG is one of the hormones naturally released by pregnant women to prepare the body’s metabolism for pregnancy and the nutritional requirements of a baby. Introduction of the HCG hormone tricks a woman’s body into thinking it is pregnant. As a result, the body’s metabolism changes to pull more energy from internal storage, i.e. fat. Fat cells are mobilized for use as energy, causing weight to drop off at a rate of one to two pounds per day.
For the HCG diet to work, the introduction of the HCG hormone is used in conjunction with a special low-calorie diet that consists of only 500 calories per day. The
The 500-calorie diet that accompanies the HCG can come in two forms. The foods can be prepared and packaged beforehand, or you can be given instructions on what foods to eat, how much of them to eat, and how to prepare them. This allows you the option of buying fresh foods.
While the HCG allows your body to burn extra fat for your own use instead of for a baby, the 500-calorie diet provides enough essential nutrition to keep energy levels high during the diet. Over the course of the diet, the average weight loss is twenty pounds.HCG Diet and was developed by Dr. ATW Simeon at his clinic in Rome, Italy.
HCG diet is only effective when the two parts are combined. Taking HCG alone will not do the trick.
HCG is one of the hormones naturally released by pregnant women to prepare the body’s metabolism for pregnancy and the nutritional requirements of a baby. Introduction of the HCG hormone tricks a woman’s body into thinking it is pregnant. As a result, the body’s metabolism changes to pull more energy from internal storage, i.e. fat. Fat cells are mobilized for use as energy, causing weight to drop off at a rate of one to two pounds per day.
For the HCG diet to work, the introduction of the HCG hormone is used in conjunction with a special low-calorie diet that consists of only 500 calories per day. The
The 500-calorie diet that accompanies the HCG can come in two forms. The foods can be prepared and packaged beforehand, or you can be given instructions on what foods to eat, how much of them to eat, and how to prepare them. This allows you the option of buying fresh foods.
While the HCG allows your body to burn extra fat for your own use instead of for a baby, the 500-calorie diet provides enough essential nutrition to keep energy levels high during the diet. Over the course of the diet, the average weight loss is twenty pounds.HCG Diet and was developed by Dr. ATW Simeon at his clinic in Rome, Italy.
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
10 Natural Tips for Beating the Cold
As some like to say, it’s cold season. And while it’s the close physical proximity of people rather than the temperature outside that causes illness, it nevertheless is the time of year we start to get sick. That said, it’s good gear up with some natural, safe, and commonsensical tips for beating the cold – if you get it, or when you get it.
5 for Defense
“Those who fail to prepare, prepare to fail.” Cliché? We think not. Preparation is crucial in doing anything correctly, whether it’s tackling an assignment at work or beating back germs. That said, the best way to not get a cold is to work hard on your defense.
Number 1. Hygiene
Easy enough – wash your hands. No, seriously, wash your hands! This is perhaps the most vital defense for colds. Because the majority of cold and flu viruses are transmitted person-to-person, your best bet is to make sure your own hands are clean. Wash them for 20-30 seconds under hot water with soap. Be sure to get both sides of the hands, too. Rinsing really doesn’t effectively clean, so don’t try to fool yourself.
Number 2. Strengthen your Immune System
Always be sure that – whether you’re sick or not – you’re eating healthy foods with a variety of natural colors (those correspond to different nutrients). Secondly, always avoid drinking heavily and smoking. These aren’t bad “once in a while” in moderation (don’t ever drink a full six-pack or smoke an entire box – it’s just overkill).
Number 3. Catch those ZZZ’s
A good way to make sure you are protecting yourself from infection is to always get enough sleep. Sleep is a crucial time for our bodies. While our minds don’t need to process new and unfamiliar information, the body uses that time to focus on fighting off those infections. That means that getting plenty of rest will give your body ample time to police its cells, even before you’re sick.
Number 4. Get some Exercise
Like avoiding smoking and making sure you’re eating right, exercising helps strengthen the immune system. On top of that, it will give you time to breathe in fresh air, stretch your muscles, and make your overall state of health higher than it was before.
Number 5. Quarantine
When you’re sick, don’t go to work or go out or share things with friends. If you do this, you increase the risk of spreading disease that may come back around and make you sick again. Also, it’s just common courtesy.
5 for Offense
As Aaron Glatt, president and CEO of New Island Hospital in New York and a spokesperson for the Infectious Diseases Society of America, says, “you’re going to get a cold anyway—it’s a question of how many.” This quote tells us two things: we can change the frequency of sickness, but without a doubt, we will get sick in life. That means we need the defense discussed above and a strong offense.
Number 6. Liquids
I think liquids should go right up on top because, from personal experience, is has some serious potential. Last time I got sick, I had a few bowls of miso soup, about seven cups of tea, and many, many glasses of water. Amazingly, this flushed my system out in a day. While it took about two days to fully recover, I felt better the next morning.
Here, the logic is plain: the body uses liquid as a medium to flush out our system. The more we flush, the better functioning and cleaner it will be. That said, drink up!
Number 7. Cut out the Sins
Some of these were discussed above, but should be reiterated. First, quit smoking (at least while you’re sick). This will worsen that sore throat of yours and is overall unhealthy anyways. Smoking also correlates with harsher, longer sicknesses. Secondly, don’t go out and party when you’re ill; it exposes germs to others, it isn’t good for your immune system that is already stressed, and doesn’t conserve the energy your body needs.
Number 8. Steam Power!
If you find yourself with a mucusy sore throat or stuffed nose, try sitting/standing above a boiling pot of water and breathing in the steam (or, if possible, go to a sauna). Most germs can’t live past high temperatures, and the steam also breaks up mucus. Plus, it’s very therapeutic. This makes steaming a great option for all sick people.
*Remember to be careful. You don’t want to feint or lose focus when over a pot of boiling water! If you’re a parent, just hold the little one and stay alert.
Number 9. Rest Up and De-stress
If you’ve gotten sick, try to add a few hours each night to sleep. This, like discussed above, gives your body the opportunity to recoup from the day’s wear and tear and protect your cells. Similarly, make sure you’re relaxing enough. Stress increases our propensity to getting ill and is overall bad for us. That said, combine this with the above tip: go on a weekday vacation to a spa with a sauna!
Number 10. Exercise, Take Vitamins – Maybe
Some data suggests exercising will help you feel better quicker, but exert yourself too much. The facts are blurry with this, and some argue that exercising will take away from getting better because your body will have to focus on rebuilding muscle rather than fighting infections.
The second “iffy” here is vitamins. It probably won’t hurt to take some daily vitamins, but your diet should always cover your nutrients. If you do end up taking a vitamin C supplement or a one-a-day, then be sure to remain hydrated (which you should always do anyways).
Beat that Cold
Employ the defense, ready the offense, and beat that cold. Hopefully, a full and committed run down of this list will not only better your chances at beating the cold, but also better your overall state of health!
Any success stories out there? Secret home remedies you’d like to share? Please comment below!
thanks to http://www.organicsoul.org/10-natural-tips-for-beating-the-cold/
5 for Defense
“Those who fail to prepare, prepare to fail.” Cliché? We think not. Preparation is crucial in doing anything correctly, whether it’s tackling an assignment at work or beating back germs. That said, the best way to not get a cold is to work hard on your defense.
Number 1. Hygiene
Easy enough – wash your hands. No, seriously, wash your hands! This is perhaps the most vital defense for colds. Because the majority of cold and flu viruses are transmitted person-to-person, your best bet is to make sure your own hands are clean. Wash them for 20-30 seconds under hot water with soap. Be sure to get both sides of the hands, too. Rinsing really doesn’t effectively clean, so don’t try to fool yourself.
Number 2. Strengthen your Immune System
Always be sure that – whether you’re sick or not – you’re eating healthy foods with a variety of natural colors (those correspond to different nutrients). Secondly, always avoid drinking heavily and smoking. These aren’t bad “once in a while” in moderation (don’t ever drink a full six-pack or smoke an entire box – it’s just overkill).
Number 3. Catch those ZZZ’s
A good way to make sure you are protecting yourself from infection is to always get enough sleep. Sleep is a crucial time for our bodies. While our minds don’t need to process new and unfamiliar information, the body uses that time to focus on fighting off those infections. That means that getting plenty of rest will give your body ample time to police its cells, even before you’re sick.
Number 4. Get some Exercise
Like avoiding smoking and making sure you’re eating right, exercising helps strengthen the immune system. On top of that, it will give you time to breathe in fresh air, stretch your muscles, and make your overall state of health higher than it was before.
Number 5. Quarantine
When you’re sick, don’t go to work or go out or share things with friends. If you do this, you increase the risk of spreading disease that may come back around and make you sick again. Also, it’s just common courtesy.
5 for Offense
As Aaron Glatt, president and CEO of New Island Hospital in New York and a spokesperson for the Infectious Diseases Society of America, says, “you’re going to get a cold anyway—it’s a question of how many.” This quote tells us two things: we can change the frequency of sickness, but without a doubt, we will get sick in life. That means we need the defense discussed above and a strong offense.
Number 6. Liquids
I think liquids should go right up on top because, from personal experience, is has some serious potential. Last time I got sick, I had a few bowls of miso soup, about seven cups of tea, and many, many glasses of water. Amazingly, this flushed my system out in a day. While it took about two days to fully recover, I felt better the next morning.
Here, the logic is plain: the body uses liquid as a medium to flush out our system. The more we flush, the better functioning and cleaner it will be. That said, drink up!
Number 7. Cut out the Sins
Some of these were discussed above, but should be reiterated. First, quit smoking (at least while you’re sick). This will worsen that sore throat of yours and is overall unhealthy anyways. Smoking also correlates with harsher, longer sicknesses. Secondly, don’t go out and party when you’re ill; it exposes germs to others, it isn’t good for your immune system that is already stressed, and doesn’t conserve the energy your body needs.
Number 8. Steam Power!
If you find yourself with a mucusy sore throat or stuffed nose, try sitting/standing above a boiling pot of water and breathing in the steam (or, if possible, go to a sauna). Most germs can’t live past high temperatures, and the steam also breaks up mucus. Plus, it’s very therapeutic. This makes steaming a great option for all sick people.
*Remember to be careful. You don’t want to feint or lose focus when over a pot of boiling water! If you’re a parent, just hold the little one and stay alert.
Number 9. Rest Up and De-stress
If you’ve gotten sick, try to add a few hours each night to sleep. This, like discussed above, gives your body the opportunity to recoup from the day’s wear and tear and protect your cells. Similarly, make sure you’re relaxing enough. Stress increases our propensity to getting ill and is overall bad for us. That said, combine this with the above tip: go on a weekday vacation to a spa with a sauna!
Number 10. Exercise, Take Vitamins – Maybe
Some data suggests exercising will help you feel better quicker, but exert yourself too much. The facts are blurry with this, and some argue that exercising will take away from getting better because your body will have to focus on rebuilding muscle rather than fighting infections.
The second “iffy” here is vitamins. It probably won’t hurt to take some daily vitamins, but your diet should always cover your nutrients. If you do end up taking a vitamin C supplement or a one-a-day, then be sure to remain hydrated (which you should always do anyways).
Beat that Cold
Employ the defense, ready the offense, and beat that cold. Hopefully, a full and committed run down of this list will not only better your chances at beating the cold, but also better your overall state of health!
Any success stories out there? Secret home remedies you’d like to share? Please comment below!
thanks to http://www.organicsoul.org/10-natural-tips-for-beating-the-cold/
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Holiday Survival 101
The holidays seem to come earlier and earlier every year -- and along with them, the stresses and strains of frenzied holiday shopping. Take a stroll through your local mall, and you'll already see symbols of the approaching holiday season -- from Thanksgiving and Christmas decorations to notices of blowout sales. As your muscles tense with each passing day, the American Chiropractic Association (ACA) asks, "Are you ready for the holiday shopping challenge?"
"Our bodies have the capacity to do a little more than we normally do," says Dr. Scott Bautch, past president of the ACA's Council on Occupational Health. "But our bodies do not adapt very well to doing a lot more than we normally do. Since the added demands of this season can stress the capacity of our bodies, we need to do everything we can to help ourselves. Eat right, drink plenty of water, stretch, exercise and take a few minutes to slow down and reflect on what the season is all about."
So relax and enjoy the holidays! Dr. Bautch and the ACA encourage you to consider the following tips to help keep you and your loved ones healthy, happy and safe this season.
Treat Holiday Shopping As An Athletic Event
Plan Frequent Breaks Into Your Shopping Day
Shopping With Children
Wrapping Your Gifts
Chiropractic Care Can Help
If you experience pain or discomfort as a result of holiday shopping, consider a visit to your doctor of chiropractic. Your doctor of chiropractic can help alleviate your pain naturally, so you can enjoy the holiday season as it was meant to be.
"Our bodies have the capacity to do a little more than we normally do," says Dr. Scott Bautch, past president of the ACA's Council on Occupational Health. "But our bodies do not adapt very well to doing a lot more than we normally do. Since the added demands of this season can stress the capacity of our bodies, we need to do everything we can to help ourselves. Eat right, drink plenty of water, stretch, exercise and take a few minutes to slow down and reflect on what the season is all about."
So relax and enjoy the holidays! Dr. Bautch and the ACA encourage you to consider the following tips to help keep you and your loved ones healthy, happy and safe this season.
Treat Holiday Shopping As An Athletic Event
- Stay hydrated! Drink eight to ten 8-ounce glasses of water a day. (Coffee, tea, soft drinks and alcohol are dehydrators. Don't substitute them for water.) On shopping days, you may need to drink even more water.
- Be sure to stretch before and after a long day of shopping. When you are stressed-out, your muscles are less flexible than usual.
- Wear shoes with plenty of cushioning in the soles to absorb the impact of walking on those hard shopping mall floors.
- Make sure your clothing is as comfortable as possible. It's a good idea to wear layers, because you may be going from a cold environment (outdoors) to a warm environment (indoors).
- Leave your purse at home. Wear a light fanny pack, or if necessary, a light backpack instead. Pack only those items that are absolutely essential (driver's license, credit card, etc.).
- If you start to feel some pain, nip it in the bud. Apply an ice bag to the affected area for 20 minutes, then take it off for a couple of hours. Repeat a couple of times each day over the next day or two.
Plan Frequent Breaks Into Your Shopping Day
- During a day of heavy shopping, most people should take a break every 45 minutes. Those with less stamina may even need to take breaks more frequently.
- If possible, obtain a locker. Lockers can help cut down dramatically on how much you have to carry around. You can take a load off by scheduling trips to your locker into your breaks.
- If your mall or shopping center doesn't offer lockers, try to plan trips to your car. Don't carry around more than is absolutely necessary at one time.
- When taking breaks, try to eat light foods. A salad and some fruit is a much better option than a burger and fries.
- Skip the coffee break! Coffee and sodas contain caffeine and sugar, which add even more stress to your body. Pass on the designer coffee at the java stand and keep drinking water.
Shopping With Children
- If at all possible, DO NOT bring children along on a holiday shopping trip. Most children simply do not have the stamina for such an event, and you and your child will only become frustrated with one another. Don't add this type of stress to an already stressful situation.
- Try to split "child duty" up with a spouse or another parent. They'll watch your kids while you shop, and vice-versa.
Wrapping Your Gifts
- Since there is no "ideal" position for wrapping gifts, the most important thing to remember is to vary your positions. For example, try standing at a table or countertop for one package, sitting on a bed for another, sitting in a comfortable chair for another, etc.
- Do not wrap packages while sitting on the floor. Wrapping packages while sitting on a hard floor can wreak havoc on your posture, and should be avoided.
- Always stretch before and after you wrap gifts.
Chiropractic Care Can Help
If you experience pain or discomfort as a result of holiday shopping, consider a visit to your doctor of chiropractic. Your doctor of chiropractic can help alleviate your pain naturally, so you can enjoy the holiday season as it was meant to be.
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Social Media and Your Health
So many things have changed in a digital world around us within the past 10 years. To mention the most popular ones: iPhone, Ipad, Android, super slick computer monitors and digital TV monitors. In a last couple of years the development of 3G by AT&T and 4G by Sprint networks and super fast internet connections for home and business offices. Even cars come with build in GPS and XM radio. All of these advances in technology do not come at the cost of their consumers – human health.
Our gadgets get smaller, faster, cheaper and more multitasking machine every three months. Just imagine for a second you left your house without your cell phone. Immediate panic takes over. That was not the case a decade ago. Smart phones have certainly become an extension of our brain. In this fast pace world multitasking is the only thing that will help you to stay on top of things. We use these devices to send text messages, make phone calls, watch video on Youtube, use twitter to send a link to our followers, Facebook for keeping in touch with friends, millions use it for gaming purposes. It is not such a healthy thing to look at tiny screen for many hours up to the point when battery has no more life. I have seen people playing games in all kinds of positions, wonder how much pain they have in their neck or back. However, there is a great benefit from these devices as well. One can find a lot of information via different blog posts and get in touch with a health care provider via twitter or instant chat. Below are the links to several articles that you might find interesting from a famous Mashable site.
While the research showed that people who have chronic illness are less likely, on average, to have Internet access, once they’re online they are more likely to blog about chronic disease and participate in online discussions or other forums. According to the report, “Living with chronic disease is also associated, once someone is online, with a greater likelihood to access user-generated health content such as blog posts, hospital reviews, doctor reviews, and podcasts. These resources allow an internet user to dive deeply into a health topic, using the internet as a communications tool, not simply an information vending machine.” READ MORE …
Here are eight highly rated free and paid Android apps that will help you get and stay in shape. If you’ve got recommendations — particularly for apps that will help folks get outdoors while the weather’s nice — please let us know about them in the comments. READ MORE …
We are all well aware of the benefits of the social media age, but the challenge is finding a balance, and living a healthy and rich life both online and off. If we are not careful, our increasingly connected life can take a negative toll on our mind and body.
Below are four steps to go from a stressful social media life to a wise one, as well as the apps to help you do it. READ MORE …
Our gadgets get smaller, faster, cheaper and more multitasking machine every three months. Just imagine for a second you left your house without your cell phone. Immediate panic takes over. That was not the case a decade ago. Smart phones have certainly become an extension of our brain. In this fast pace world multitasking is the only thing that will help you to stay on top of things. We use these devices to send text messages, make phone calls, watch video on Youtube, use twitter to send a link to our followers, Facebook for keeping in touch with friends, millions use it for gaming purposes. It is not such a healthy thing to look at tiny screen for many hours up to the point when battery has no more life. I have seen people playing games in all kinds of positions, wonder how much pain they have in their neck or back. However, there is a great benefit from these devices as well. One can find a lot of information via different blog posts and get in touch with a health care provider via twitter or instant chat. Below are the links to several articles that you might find interesting from a famous Mashable site.
5 Important Tips for Better Eye Health in a Digital World
In attempting to sum up the world in 2010, one word comes to mind: connected. Everywhere we go we carry devices that keep us connected to something important to us. Be it a sleek new tablet letting you share photos with the person helping load your groceries, or a smart phone making sure you don’t miss that late night e-mail from a colleague; we are now constantly connected to the world around us, more than ever before. READ MORE …5 Ways Social Media Helps Promote Good Health
This March, a report on chronic disease and the Internet by the Pew Internet and American Life Project and the California HealthCare Foundation showed that people fighting such illnesses are using social media to find information and connect with others who suffer similar ailments.While the research showed that people who have chronic illness are less likely, on average, to have Internet access, once they’re online they are more likely to blog about chronic disease and participate in online discussions or other forums. According to the report, “Living with chronic disease is also associated, once someone is online, with a greater likelihood to access user-generated health content such as blog posts, hospital reviews, doctor reviews, and podcasts. These resources allow an internet user to dive deeply into a health topic, using the internet as a communications tool, not simply an information vending machine.” READ MORE …
8 Best Android Apps for Health and Fitness
Spring has sprung, summer’s around the corner — it’s time to get outside and get in shape. We know your iPhone-owning counterparts have plenty of apps for tracking their calories and kilometers to stay in shape, but there are plenty of health-related apps in the Android Market, too.Here are eight highly rated free and paid Android apps that will help you get and stay in shape. If you’ve got recommendations — particularly for apps that will help folks get outdoors while the weather’s nice — please let us know about them in the comments. READ MORE …
4 Tips for Reducing Social Media Stress
We used to only be digitally connected via computer for part of the day, but today’s hand-held devices enable a “constantly connected” lifestyle. This presents huge benefits, and its share of challenges. An important question to ask yourself is: Are you going to be constantly overwhelmed by “Stress 2.0,” or can you successfully translate this lifestyle into “Wisdom 2.0?”We are all well aware of the benefits of the social media age, but the challenge is finding a balance, and living a healthy and rich life both online and off. If we are not careful, our increasingly connected life can take a negative toll on our mind and body.
Below are four steps to go from a stressful social media life to a wise one, as well as the apps to help you do it. READ MORE …
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Toys For Tots Donations being accepted now at Nordquist Chiropractic!
At Nordquist Chiropractic, we care about our commmuity. We are now collection donations of new, unwrapped toys ($20 value) for less fortunate children through the month of December. As a thank you, you will recieve a complimentary adjustment.
Our address is:
9909 168th St Ct E Puyallup, Wa 98375.
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