Prepare For the Flu with Vitamin D

You've heard it from Dr. Oz, I've heard it on the view, it's been around everywhere. Take Vitamin D for your health. Vitamin D is produced naturally by the body, but you need the sun to produce it. About one a hour per week is enough.

Children need vitamin D to build strong bones, and adults need it to keep bones strong and healthy. When people do not get enough vitamin D, they can lose bone. Studies show that people with low levels of vitamin D have lower bone density or bone mass. They are also more likely to break bones when they are older (osteoporosis).

"It's(Vitamin D) a cell-signaling molecule that may play a role in controlling the immune system, fighting cancer, improving cardiovascular health, and possibly regulating blood sugar. (There are vitamin D receptors in blood vessels and in the pancreas, which regulates blood sugar.)"

(9/28/09 source:http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/02/24/health.vitamind.cold/)

Vitamin D can be found in foods (see below). Vitamin D supplements are available at pharmacies, supermarkets and health food stores. NOTE: For vitamin D to work, you must get enough calcium every day.

Recommended Dose.

Adults under 50 get 400-800 International Units (IU) of vitamin D daily, and that adults 50 and over get 800-1,000 IU of Vitamin D.

Selected Food Sources of Vitamin D

butter

cheese

cod liver oil

egg

liver, beef

milk/ soy milk

mushrooms

orange juice (fortified w/vitamin d)

salmon

sardines

tuna fish

yogurt

Recommended: I take Nature Made Vitamin D (made with D3)

Have a comment or question? click on comments

*Remember. Check with a doctor before adding supplements to your diet.

Avoid Meat to be Healthier

New findings suggest that we eat too much meat. Too much meat leads to weight gain, cholesterol problems, and heart problems. Less meat can keep us be leaner and over all healthier. "It would be healthier, cheaper and more environmentally conscious if we scaled back our meat consumption", says the Meatless Monday initiative, a push to eat healthy and get lean.

Skip meat once a week. The initiative encourages consumers to skip meat once a week. Meatless Monday proponents want consumers to reduce meat consumption by 15 percent.Eating less meat is a good way to economize and make your diet healthier, says Hy-Vee dietitian Megan Vilhauer. So, choose a day you'll have no meat, like Friday, and have a nice big salad instead. For the kiddies: veggie pizza or pasta.

Don't over do it. If you must eat meat, The correct serving size of meat is three ounces - the size and thickness of a deck of cards. Measure the amount of meat you eat.

Still get your protein. Eat beans, nuts and soy products. (Also eggs or fish- wild game or free range)

Check this out. Cows produce an enormous amount of methane, she says. "It would make more of a difference if you stopped eating beef for a year than not driving your car for a year," Haag says. Avoiding beef "makes you feel like you're definitely making a difference."

source 9/23/09

http://www.argusleader.com/article/20090923/LIFE/909230314/1004

EAT VEGGIES... NOT MEAT.

Please feel free to leave comments.

Beat That Hangover

The obvious way to avoid a hangover is to skip the alcohol all together. When that's not your plan, and you'd like to indulge in some spirits (21 and over please), there are some steps you can take to avoid or lessen the hangover blues. Common hangovers come with a headache, and fatigue.

Hangover Remedies.

The night of...

1. Drink one glass of water for every alcoholic drink you consume.
2. At the end of the night, drink Orange juice. The vitamin C is a great pick me up. Fructose in orange juice helps even out your blood sugar.
3. Avoid caffeine. Coffee does not sober you up. While it may perk you up for a bit, coffee dehydrates you, and that's not what you want after drinking alcohol.

The next day...

1. Drink plenty of water. Try distilled water to flush the alcohol out of your system quicker.
2. Alka Seltzer can settle your upset stomach.
3. Exercise. Although this may be the last thing on your list after a night of partying, it really can help. How? You sweat the toxins out of your body. don't over do it, of course. Try jogging, cycling, or swimming.

* Top Hangover Inducers

1. Wine (anything with nitrates)
2. Overly fruity drinks (You don't notice the alcohol and wind up over indulging)
3. Smoking while drinking
4. Lack of water or food

**Legal drinking age is 21. Please drink responsibly. Assign a designated driver, or call a taxi.

Comments or questions? Send an email to Cat now!

Fight Cellulite and Acne

Everyone's looking for a trick that will help improve their image. It's always fun to try something new, and if it works, thats even better. Cellulite, acne, dark circles, or any other "problem area", there are tips and secrets that may help you out.

Acne

Your teen years are over, but you're still getting break outs. We all know acne isn't just for pre-teens. Adult acne affects 25% of all adult men and 50% of adult women at some time in their adult lives.

Causes of Acne

Although the causes of adult acne are unknown, possible causes include hormones, cosmetics, stress, and an increase of resistant bacteria. Women in particular often experience premenstrual flares, often around the mouth.

What to do:

First you should see a dermatologist. They can tell you how severe your case is, and write prescriptions for creams that are much stronger than OTC products. Retin-A(Tretinoin,Avita, Renova)is a highly recommended acne cream. It works by increasing skin cell turnover promoting the extrusion of the plugged material in the follicle. (Please check with a doctor before use. Drying and peeling can occur, but will eventually go away).

On your own you can try Aloe Vera gel and hydrocortisone cream. Or, mix dry yeast with some fresh squeezed lemon juice. That can dry it out. Everyones skin is different. Make sure to drink plenty of clean water-bottled or filtered.

Cellulite

Wow! Over 90% of women over the age of 30 will develop some form of cellulite. This war against those dreaded fatty deposits fills the pages of numerous women's magazines and is the bane of women all over the world. It is a sad but true fact that cellulite affects the majority of women and it appears that no one is safe, as it can affect both thin and overweight women.

There are a variety of factors that determine how much cellulite you have which include hormonal changes, family history, genetics, age, pollution and lifestyle, including: diet, activity levels, smoking, alcohol intake and stress.

Although diet and exercise can diminish cellulite, a large part of cellulite is composed of toxins, fluids and fat which become trapped deep in the skin. The connective tissue thickens and hardens, resulting in a dimpling appearance. As we grow older, the layer of skin thins, resulting in the bulging rippled look we all hate.

What to do:

First of all, don't spend all your money on those creams that claim to remove or reduce cellulite. Just use any ordinary body cream (I like Eucerin), and rub it into your cellulite areas (usually the back of thighs) for thirty seconds. It's the massage of the leg that can diminish the look of cellulite, not the cream itself.

Diet and exercise to diminish cellulite. Don't eat too much processed foods, avoid alcohol, and don't smoke!

Have any tips to share?

Leave a Comment or Send e-mail