Chances are, the mere mention of the word “chia” as in “chia seeds” will bring a giggle or two to those who fondly remember a gift called a “Chia Pet” first introduced in the early 1980s. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chia_Pet) The novelty of the Chia Pet or Chia Head was that you had a terracotta planter and you affixed moistened chia seeds onto it, and in a few weeks’ time, the chia seeds sprouted and made “hair”. Chia pets are still available and enjoyed a recent resurgence with chia seeds sprouting into full beards to resemble various characters from the “Duck Dynasty” show.
If you love fresh veggies, once growing season is in gear, there is no better place to go than the local vendors to load up on local produce. One of the first vegetables available in Spring is fresh asparagus. While this valuable veggie is available year-round, Spring is the peak season for taste. Crops are harvested beginning in late February through June, with April as the prime month.
When choosing asparagus, however, pick green asparagus as it is much more beneficial than white. It is the stalk of this veggie which packs a punch in terms of nutrients and goodness.
What if you were told that eating foods rich in Omega-3 or taking supplements of Omega-3 would guarantee that you would reap the following benefits:
- Improved cardiovascular health, including protecting the heart from mental stress;
- Protection from Alzheimer’s Disease;
- Protection from vision loss, including aiding in dry-eye syndrome;
- Reduced risk of developing prostate cancer;
- Improved memory in healthy young adults;
- Reduced mental health problems (especially curbing behavioral problems in youngsters);
- Reduced seizure episodes in epileptic patients;
- Protection from post-partum depression in new mothers;
- Reduced symptoms of allergies and asthma;
- Reduced risk of psychosis; and
- Increased fetal cognitive and motor development.
From the Memorial Day weekend until Labor Day weekend, sometimes it is all one big food fest, isn’t it? There are picnics and barbeques and family get-togethers galore. Most of these events involve potluck meals, with everyone toting along a different dish. Of course you don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings, so you have to try everyone’s special dish, and before long, you feel overstuffed and want to undo your clothes.
Unfortunately, some fattening picnic fare, like creamy potato or macaroni salads, not only pack on the pounds, but can be detrimental to your health, should they sit out in warm weather for too long, because then you could risk getting food poisoning. So, to avoid getting contaminated by food spoilage in cold salads containing mayonnaise, thwart those problems and be kind to your waistline by substituting salads like three-bean, baked beans or coleslaw with a vinaigrette dressing instead.
If you are planning a day at the beach, do yourself and your loved ones a favor and follow the suggestions below on the best way to transport and keep your food at the recommended chilled temperature, plus safeguard against food poisoning once the food has been cooked and served.
Every time you turn around the headlines are screaming about another food recall. E-coli, listeria, e-coli and avian flu issues have us rethinking where we dine or what we put into our grocery carts and into our mouths. The Chipotle e-coli issues leave us less likely to be craving Mexican food at that establishment, even though they are cleared of contamination issues and back in business again. We may want to eat healthy by eating more produce, but then we worry about listeria-contaminated lettuce or consuming supposedly “pre-washed produce” like bagged coleslaw or lettuce, only to find a large manufacturer like Dole is sweeping them off the shelves in a massive recall. Even a treat like ice cream was contaminated with listeria causing Blue Bell, a manufacturer established way back in 1907, to halt production of this frozen treat while they determined the source of contamination. The avian flu has us scrambling to find organic eggs or just doing without eggs altogether.
College life is a dramatic change from the comfy convenience of living at home. Even if you were involved in athletics or had a part-time job, chances are you had three nourishing meals, a clean bed and your laundry done on a regular basis. You got your homework done before the weekend so you had free time. Unless you continue to live at home while attending college, you are in for a rude awakening.
Big adjustments
The biggest adjustment might be living away from home for the first time, and, in general, dormitory life and sharing a room with strangers. Even if you shared a room with a sibling, it’s just not the same. Strangers coming and going all the time, and their friends as well, and so on. Sometimes you need to get away from it all and the library may become your sanctuary – that’s a good place to go to catch up on your studies and chill out a bit.
If you are in reasonably good health, you might attribute it to genes (no major health issues in your immediate family), you watch what you eat and you have good gut health. What the heck is good gut health you ask?
Much scientific research has been done showing the association between a gut-healthy diet and increased immunity and overall health. If you’re already blessed with good health, you must be doing something right, and, if you want to strive for good health, look below to see what you should be doing going forward.
Halloween can be pretty scary, and not just for its ghosts, witches, and goblins. Halloween has been known to frighten more than just a few parents for what all that gooey, sugary candy can do to their kids’ teeth. Thankfully, as a parent, you don’t have to make your kids opt out of all the Halloween fun just because you don’t want their teeth to end up looking like that candy corn they’ve been scarfing by the boatload. In fact, it likely will surprise you to learn that some of the candy they get for for trick or treat may even be good for their teeth. For instance, sugarless candies can actually benefit teeth. But what about the rest of them? Is one sugary candy just as bad as another? Or are all Halloween candies that contain sugar as ghastly as those costumes they picked out? Here are some dental health tips for parents at Halloween about the best and worst Halloween candy for teeth.
You’ve likely been hearing it for decades… there are bad carbs and there are good carbs. But what does it mean? Are the bad carbs really that bad? And, perhaps even more important, are the good carbs really that good? The answers to both of these questions are, quite simply, yes. Bad carbs are pretty bad for you, and good carbs, well, they’re not just good… they’re great. In fact, when it comes to daily health tips, the differences between good carbs and bad carbs are clear. That’s why it’s important to learn some of the differences, and especially important to learn why good carbs are so important to your overall health. Here’s more information from health experts about why good carbs are so important to your health, and why it’s important to include them in your daily diet.
Everybody’s looking for ways to get healthy. And most of us wouldn’t mind finding little shortcuts to that good health. In fact, daily health tips are among the most trending Internet subjects ever, and the reason is pretty obvious. People are too busy these days to spend hours every day at the gym or reading about staying healthy. They’d rather do it! And that’s why apple cider vinegar has gained so much popularity in the United States and throughout the world. But it’s not just a fleeting fad, like many other daily health tips you read about. The health benefits of apple cider vinegar have been known for centuries. It’s been used for a number of ailments for thousands of years. Thankfully, its use throughout history as a health booster has been recorded and is still known today. In fact, today apple cider vinegar’s effectiveness for aiding in the cure of many medical conditions is even more prevalent than ever. It’s also been known throughout history that apple cider vinegar has many cosmetic uses. Following is helpful information about some of the most beneficial uses for apple cider vinegar.