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…
Are you suffering from recurring Urinary Tract Infections? If you are, I have good news and bad news. The good news is I have a proven guaranteed remedy I would like to share with you. The bad news is if you don’t find a cure for your recurring UTI you could be asking for other serious health complications.
Long Term Consequences of Recurring UTI
Successful natural remedies are being uncovered every day and the one thing they all have in common is that they treat the body as a whole. It only makes good sense . . . if you are in the habit of only treating your “symptoms,” then you are missing the real potentially deadly underlying cause.
Fact is many diseases have common causes that are complicated by poor lifestyle, stress and environmental factors like toxins and unhealthy foods.
The danger of recurring urinary tract infections is that the bacteria causing the inflammation can travel up the urinary tract and attack the “upper” urinary tract.
Between your kidneys and your urinary bladder you have what’s called “ureters.” These ureters are long delicate muscular ducts (10-16 inches long) that pump your urine away from the kidneys into your bladder.
Every 10-15 seconds small amounts of urine are emptied into your bladder. If the urine stops moving or backs up into the kidneys, your kidneys can get infected. This can happen from an upper urinary tract infection or when tiny mineral deposits travel into the ureters and become urinary stones. This often causes nerve damage leading to urinary incontinence. About 13,000,000 people suffer from urinary incontinence in the U.S. Read more…
By increasing the likelihood for heart patients to suffer a heart attack, the common flu virus may raise the risk of dying from heart disease. Those who have other risk factors or diabetes may also be at greater risk.
An analysis conducted by a group of British researchers of 39 previous studies of heart patients which was conducted between 1932 and 2008, had results that showed an increase in the number of deaths from heart disease, as well as the occurrence of more heart attacks during flu season.
In fact, this study showed the increased death rate averaged from 35 percent to 50 percent. The report was recently published in the journal Lancet. Experts are urging all heart patients to get vaccinated against regular flu as well as the swine flu, although currently only about one-third of Americans who suffer from heart disease receive flu vaccines.
The possibility of experiencing flu-related medical issues is greater among those having heart-related problems because more flu virus is expected to be circulating during this coming flu season. Dr. Ralph Brindis, vice president of the American College of Cardiology says, “If we can convince cardiac patients to go ahead and get the flu vaccine, that could ultimately save lives.” 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…
