Archive for the 'Nutrition' Category
According to the most recent data, people are living longer. In 1950, there were 14.5 million people in the world who were age 80 and older. In 2009, that number climbed from 14.5 million to nearly 102 million. Experts project that by 2050, there will be 395 million people who are 80 or older. Many could be engaged, alert, active members of society with relatively few disabilities.�
Lifestyle choices definitely affect longevity. It’s also true that genes play a role. Most experts believe that only about 30% of how long we live is determined by our genetic makeup and up to 70% of lifespan differences may be explained by lifestyle choices that include our activity level, whether or not we smoke, alcohol consumption and if we are a healthy weight.
Why do we need vitamins and minerals?
Vitamins and minerals are essential for human development. Our bodies consist of millions of cells that are constantly being regenerated. To perform optimally and to stay healthy, each cell needs a certain amount of vitamins and minerals. Vitamins are necessary for the production of red blood cells and to maintain the nervous, skeletal and immune systems while minerals are needed to help regulate body functions, release energy and assist growth. In the US today, poor or inadequate diets are associated with 4 of the 10 leading causes of death (coronary heart disease, certain types of cancer, stroke and type 2 diabetes).
Feb
25
1. Healthy Greens - Chlorophyll, present in all green plants, has anticancer and detoxifying properties. Green, leafy vegetables are high in vitamins and minerals that naturally reduce inflammation and help protect against cognitive decline. Many green foods contain calcium, which helps build strong bones and teeth and improve vision. It is recommended you eat at least one serving daily of leafy green vegetables. Alfalfa is becoming increasingly popular as a nutritional supplement that is rich in chlorophyll. If you choose to supplement with alfalfa, it is best to select a product that is made from premium alfalfa leaves (Medicago sativa) grown under carefully controlled conditions. Read the rest of this entry »
- Make adequate sleep a priority- Getting to bed a little earlier will help protect your mood and your health. Most of us need about 8 hours a night. Chronic sleep deprivation has also been linked to the development of obesity, impaired immunity, heart disease, and several kinds of cancer. You’ll know you are getting enough sleep each day if you wake up feeling refreshed. If you find that you have trouble staying focused, or it takes only a few minutes to fall deep into sleep, or that you ‘nod off’ during the day, chances are you’re not getting enough sleep. Sleep also helps us in less visible ways. During sleep, the body secretes a hormone that repairs and regenerates tissue throughout the body. It may also be instrumental in reinforcing our memories. Read the rest of this entry »
Did your mom tell you to always eat your breakfast because it is the most important meal of the day? Well, she was right. Eating a healthy breakfast is important for both short term and long term mental and physical health. Read the rest of this entry »
Nov
15
Poor bone health and Osteoporosis are not just concerns for the elderly. Most of us think that this is something to worry about later in life. However, we should pay attention to bone health at every stage of life.
We may think of bones as a hard brittle skeleton, but actually our bones are living organs made up of cells and body fluids just like other organs. Bone tissue is constantly being built up and torn down. This process is called remodeling and goes on for our entire life. Between ages 25 and 30, our bones reach their maximum density. Throughout adulthood, this process of building up and tearing down is at a finely tuned balance to maintain bone mass. Read the rest of this entry »
Oct
20
People are referring to H1N1 as the swine flu, however, H1N1 Virus is not the pure swine flu virus of 1976. This virus has chunks of DNA that are consistent with human seasonal flu (influenza type A) and pieces that are consistent with avian flu or bird flu, so it is a new viral entity that has the backbone of swine flu, with chunks of human flu and avian flu inserted into it. The concern is that our antibodies (our T cells and our B cells) haven’t seen it before, so our immune system has to mount a full immune response the first time we are exposed to it. Read the rest of this entry »
- Avoid Soda… sugar sweetened or artificially sweetened, it doesn’t matter. This is NOT a beverage that kids should be drinking. Water should be their principle beverage outside of milk.
- Avoid Sugar sweetened cereals. If you are using these, start to change things by adding multi grain cheerios into that box so they’re getting a little bit and then keep on adding it until you have all multigrain cheerios. Start to add a more protein centered breakfast such as eggs, yogurt or protein shakes.
A healthy diet is just as important for children as it is for adults. When a child doesn’t eat enough healthy foods, his or her ability to learn may suffer. Imagine sitting in school all day when your brain and body is starving for good nutrition.
- Make sure your child gets in the habit of eating a healthy breakfast rich in whole grains, fiber, and especially protein. Research suggests that a good breakfast helps a child do better in school. A study, published in the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, showed that children who ate breakfast regularly had higher reading and math scores, lower levels of depression, anxiety, and hyperactivity, better school attendance, improved attention spans, and fewer behavior problems. A study published in the Journal of Psychiatric Research with researchers at George Washington University tested three breakfast types (high-carbohydrate, high-protein, and no breakfast at all) on 39 children with ADHD and 44 kids without the condition. For the hyperactive children, performance on several tests, including a test for attention, was significantly worse with the high-carbohydrate breakfast, as compared with the scores of the children who ate the high-protein breakfast. High-protein breakfast ideas might include natural peanut butter on whole grain bread, eggs (to save time, make hard-boiled eggs the night before) or a smoothie made with high quality soy or whey protein, yogurt and fruit.
Our bodies are made up of basically six things: vitamins, minerals, protein, carbohydrate, water and fats. Since we are made and fueled by all six of these nutrients, the quality of our health depends on the quality of all six of these nutrients. These nutrients are essential to health and life. Read the rest of this entry »