The options for drinks seem to be at an all time high with energy and sport drinks, new flavored sodas, tropical fruit juices, fancy vitamin water, and even water with protein appealing to all ages. Sodas and sport drinks, however, can have as much as 13 teaspoons of added sugar. It is especially important to look at the serving size on the nutrition label. So if you quickly read that a beverage bottle says 80 calories, you may need to look again. For example, if the serving size sates 2.5 servings/bottle, you need to do the math. In this case, the 80 calories beverage actually contains 200 calories. Similarly, not all fruit juice is alike. Many do provide 100% juice but be careful of marketing. SunnyD may look like orange juice and sell you on it’s 100% vitamin C, however it’s second ingredient is high fructose corn syrup as well as other ingredients not found in juice.
So what is a parent to do? Certainly, 100% fruit juice can be counted as a serving of fruit in a child’s diet. Just be careful of portion sizes. Offering OJ in a small glass (4- 6 oz) is great at breakfast but shouldn’t be the main choice of the day. Orange slices would be a great option, providing beneficial fiber and phytochemicals. If the soccer moms are bringing in sports drinks, you may need to be the one to point out that water is just fine. Sport drinks can be useful for the athlete who vigorously exercises for more than an hour, but isn’t necessarily needed for kids, teens, or adults. It is more important that you child is hydrated. Have your son or daughter drink water at least a half hour before his/her practice. Bring a water bottle to ensure he can drink during breaks in the game. Offering watermelon after the game is great as it contains 90% water. Finally, most adults and kids get plenty of protein (think cheese, milk, peanut butter, chicken, tofu, etc). Adding protein to a beverage just comes down to marketing again. Similarly, children consume plenty of vitamins in real food as well as fortified cereals and bread. Drinking vitamin water adds no real health benefit.
When you are out and about doing errands with the kids, it is quite convenient to just to purchase sodas, Slurpies and even a Jamba Juice for you family. Again, it is all about portions. A 16 oz Jamba Juice Mango-A Go Go has 300 calories. Ask for an extra cup and split it up between your kids or just ask them to only fill it up half way (it is hard to stop halfway once it is in your cup). Even for yourself as you drop in to Starbucks for a 12 oz pick-me- upper café mocha (with whip cream of course) you’ll be drinking in 260 calories. Having young children have sips of your frosted mocha is not a great idea because caffeine can have more of an effect on children whose body weight is much less than an adults. Caffeine can cause upset stomachs and disrupt sleep. Read more…
Do doctor visits make you nervous? When you are sitting in the exam room with your health care provider, do you suddenly forget what you wanted to talk about? Try these 3 simple tips to prepare yourself and make the most out of each visit.
- Write down a list of questions or concerns. Sit down and think about what you have been experiencing. Anything unusual like rashes, headaches, bumps or sores that won’t go away, painful areas? Use the list when visiting your health care provider.
- Try bringing a friend, significant other, or caregiver with you. Most clinics or doctor’s offices will let you bring someone. Having this person there may help you stay relaxed. Also, he or she may remember to tell the doctor or nurse something that you might have forgotten.
- Be 100% honest. If questions come up about personal issues like sex, drug and alcohol use, or even how many doses of medication you miss, answer as truthfully as possible. Your health care provider is there to help you, not judge you, and needs to know the facts in order to make the right decisions for your care.
If you have been through most of the anti-HIV drugs out there and are running out of options because they no longer work against the virus, here are a few things to remember: Read more…
This is a subject that has many different facets as to the appropriateness of seeking one style of medicine as compared to the other. Most people will seek a doctor or therapist practicing in accordance with their own particular healing beliefs. What is of most importance is that the client or patient finds a doctor or other health care professional that they like and trust. In general, alternative medicine is considered conservative and leaves more traditional treatment options open. Traditional medicine, also known as allopathic or Western medicine, is more drug and surgery oriented. It is the appropriate choice in life threatening health care situations. It must be remembered that each category of health care has certain limitations and that no one type of doctor has all of the treatment answers. Both allopathic and alternative treatments are valid options and are often complementary.
In general, alternative medicine has focused on a systems approach. What this means is that the doctor of physician tends to look at the whole person when making treatment judgments. They take great pains to figure out how one symptom or body system effects another. Actually, this kind of medicine is really the more traditional form of health care, because it is older. It is usually based on Chinese medicine and the Meridian System. Some of the disciplines of alternative health care are massage, acupuncture, acupressure, chiropractic care, applied kinesiology, touch for health, homeopathy, diet, and herbal medicine. This type of medicine is a medicine of health and focuses on maintaining that health before it reaches the point of dysfunction. Read more…
Each gender finds itself with certain health risks and needs. Women are required to pay particular attention to certain health conditions because of body composition, such as reproductive organs. They are also more susceptible to certain diseases, thereby causing them to pay more attention to their health and prevention practices.
There are numerous diseases of noteworthy concern to women, though there are various ways to address those problems early through nutrition, exercise, and lifestyle changes. As pointed out by the Mayo Clinic in a recent article through information taken from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
1. The number one health threat to women in America is heart disease, also the most preventable of all conditions. Alcohol should be consumed in moderation and cigarette smoke should be avoided. A simple diet of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, fiber, and fish are important, along with physical activity to maintain a healthy weight and the monitoring of stress levels. Read more…
By now, it’s almost a cliché to reiterate that smoking is the chief cause of preventable death in the United States. Yet approximately 46 million Americans are still lighting up, according to the latest estimates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. With New Year’s resolutions still fresh in people’s minds, U.S. News spoke to clinical psychologist Daniel Seidman, director of smoking cessation services at Columbia University Medical Center, about his new book, Smoke-Free in 30 Days: The Pain-Free, Permanent Way to Quit (Fireside Trade Paperback Original). In it, Seidman draws on his 20-plus years of experience with thousands of patients and walks people through the quitting process—including how to prepare for the “quit day” and how to maintain their success. Here are edited excerpts from the chat:
Are you a reformed smoker?
My story is that both my parents were smokers and died very young from it, so I’ve been very concerned about this issue. My father was 47, and my mother was 59. My mother had lung cancer. She smoked [Kent brand] cigarettes. It was later found that [the brand's specialized filter contained] asbestos. [According to a 1995 article in the journal Cancer Research, the filter contained a form of asbestos for several years during the 1950s.]
What does your monthlong program entail, and what makes it unique?
It outlines what to do each day. What we’re saying to people is rather than think about this as just being [about] willpower, focus on things you can do each day that will help you change your behavior, change your attitude, [and] use medicine to the greatest effect. It’s sort of like playing the piano. Nobody says, “If you have enough willpower, you’ll be a good piano player.” They say, “Practice.” [Quitting] isn’t just about being strong. That’s sort of a trap that people believe: “If I’m strong, I can do it. If I’m weak, then there’s nothing I can do and I just have to smoke.” We’re saying [that] if you make these efforts and do these exercises and follow these daily recommendations, you can be successful. Read more…