How To Stimulate Your Children To Eat More Fruits And Vegetables?

Fruit and vegetable enjoy deserved reputation as great helpers in our daily attempt to stay healthy and slim and these food products are associated with the reduced risk of many serious diseases.

Studies have shown that there is a connection between increased fruit and vegetable consumption and reduced risk of cancer (including cancer of the oral cavity, throat, stomach, colon and respiratory system). Thus, diet rich in fruit and vegetable is associated with the reduced risk of developing diabetes type 2, stroke, heart disease and high blood pressure (hypertension).

Fruit and vegetable help prevent various diseases, but they are also an excellent source of vitamins, minerals and fiber, contain little fat and contain folic acid (green leaf vegetables).

Experts say that it is not true that children do not want to consume fruit and vegetable, which is a common excuse. In countries where fruit and vegetable are traditionally consumed in large quantities, parents have no problem make their children eat their healthy five portions of fruit and vegetable per day.

Since children learn from their parents and they are consuming enough fruit and vegetable, then without any problem, their children will consume these meals, too.

It is best for children at the age of 2-10 to consume fruit and vegetable served in “relaxed” atmosphere, i.e. not to do “drama” about it. As addition to any other food, serve fruits and vegetables to your children with their favorite food.

Just Be Creative

Here are some creative tips on how to make children eat more fruit and vegetables:

Combined with Vegetables: 

• Make mashed pumpkin or sweet potatoes instead of regular mashed potatoes. 

• Power up your pizza with tomato, peppers, mushrooms, pineapple, young garlic and spinach. 

• Add vegetables in the soup. 

• Fill roast potatoes with wheat grains, young garlic, mushrooms and red pepper. 

• Be creative when serving a salad. Do not just make a tomato and cucumber salad, add paprika, shredded mushrooms, grated ginger, onion chopped circles, spinach or any other favorite vegetables. 

Combined with Fruit: 

• Add fruit in green salads – try with pieces of pear, apple, grapes, mango, strawberries, almonds or blueberries. 

• Add blueberries or grated banana in pancakes dough. 

• Add exotic fruits such as papaya, mango or pineapple in fruit salad. 

• Mix apples, ginger, carrot and orange in blender and serve it as a refreshing drink. 

• Pack fresh fruit in a plastic box, so the child can take it to school. Drain a little lemon juice over apples and pears so they would not turn brown. 

With a little creativity and effort you can stimulate your children eat more fruit and vegetable and enrich their diet which will strengthen their body.

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What Can Having 5 Walnuts a Day Can Do for Your Health?

A new research study from Yale University is showing an amazing benefit of adding just 56 grams of walnuts a day to your diet. Researchers chose 46 adults between the ages of 30 and 75.

All participants had a body mass index (BMI) higher than 25 and a waist circumference of at least 40 inches for men and 35 inches for women. All of the participants had a heightened risk of metabolic syndrome, which is a factor of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

Half of the participants were assigned a diet that included 56 grams of shelled, unroasted walnuts. The other half were given a diet that did not include walnuts. The results showed that people on the walnut enhanced diets showed improved function in endothelial cells that make up the inner lining of blood vessels.

These cells help with blood clotting and the formation of new blood cells, as well as regulating inflammation and controlling blood pressure.

The lead author of the research study, Dr. David Katz, says, “We know that improving diets tends to be hard, but adding a single food is easy. Our theory is that if a highly nutritious, satiating food like walnuts is added to the diet, there are dual benefits: the benefits of that nutrient rich addition and removal of the less nutritious foods.”

As amazing as the benefits of Walnuts can be, sadly according to a recent study has determined that only 5.5% of all adults (ages 19-50) consume tree nuts of any kind! This small percentage of people actually do a pretty good job of integrating tree nuts (including walnuts) into their diet, and average about 1.25 ounces of tree nuts per day. But the other 94.5% of us report no consumption of tree nuts whatsoever. 

In a recent look at the nutritional differences between tree nut eaters and non-eaters, researchers have reported some pretty notable findings: on a daily average, tree nut eaters take in 5 grams more fiber, 260 milligrams more potassium, 73 more milligrams of calcium, 95 more milligrams of magnesium, 3.7 milligrams more vitamin E, and 157 milligrams less sodium!”

SO, now that you know, go out and grab a bag of fresh walnuts and get cracking! Your heart will thank you for it.

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Early Symptoms of Liver Damage that Everybody Ignores

The liver is the largest solid organ in the human body and it is responsible for doing many different jobs. Some of the primary functions of the liver include: 

• Cleaning the blood 
• It creates bile, which is vital to digestion 
• It stores glycogen, a form of sugar that produces energy 

Being that your liver is so important, if problems develop with it, your health could be in serious jeopardy – and there are many ways that the liver can become damaged; but, many people don’t realize that there is a problem with their liver – until it’s too late. As a result, your health and your overall well-being can be greatly impacted.

Paying attention to your liver and recognizing the warning signs that can indicate a problem is developing is crucial. Not sure what the signs of liver damage are? Here’s a look at several telltale signs that you should never, ever ignore.

Your Skin and Eye Color is Yellowed

One of the first telltale signs of liver damage is discoloration of the skin and eye color. Because a damaged liver is unable to properly filter out toxins that you consume, you could build-up a Bilirubin, which could cause your skin and eye color to turn yellow.

Bilirubin is a form of bile pigment. Bile is produced by your liver and it aids in digestion. When your liver is damaged, it can’t remove the Bilirubin, and as a result, it collects in your blood. When Bilirubin flows through the blood, the skin starts to turn yellow. You can first notice this yellowing in your fingernails and on the tips of your fingers and toes, as well as your eyes.

Changes in Stools and Urine

It may not be something you do on a regular basis, but you should examine your urine and your stool. If either is discolored or changes in the consistency, you could be suffering from liver failure. If the urine is dark in color and frothy, or your stool is pale and thin, get to a doctor as soon as possible.

You’re Bloated

If you notice that your stomach is suddenly bloating, you could have a problem with your liver. When the liver is damaged, it retains fluid, and as a result, that fluid makes your stomach appear bloated.

You Feel Pain

If you start to notice cramping in your abdomen or a sharp, shooting pain, you could be suffering from problems with your liver. When the liver isn’t functioning the way that it should, it can cause pain in your abdomen. If you feel that pain in the left side of your abdomen, don’t write it off; go to the doctor.

Acid Reflux and Vomiting

If you notice an increased amount of acid reflux, you could be experiencing liver trouble. A damaged liver can push digestive juices up into your esophagus, which causes acid reflux and indigestion. Over time, excessive indigestion could lead to vomiting.

You Feel Fatigue and No Appetite

You will feel muscle weakness and tired all the time. You even feel no urge of hunger and no desire to eat.

If you are noticing any of these signs, make an appointment with your doctor as soon as possible to have your liver assessed.

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What is Strep Throat?

Strep throat is a bacterial infection that causes inflammation and pain in the throat. This common condition is caused by group A streptococcus bacteria. Strep throat can affect children and adults of all ages. However, it is especially common in children and sneezing and coughing can spread the infection from person-to-person.

Symptoms

The severity of strep throat can vary from person-to-person. Some people experience mild symptoms like a sore throat, whereas other people have more severe symptoms including fever and difficulty swallowing. Common symptoms of strep throat include:

• sudden fever
• sore throat (red throat with white patches)
• headache
• chills
• loss of appetite
• swollen lymph nodes in the neck
• trouble swallowing

Symptoms of strep throat typically develop within five days of exposure to the bacteria.

Not all sore throats are a result of a strep infection. Other illnesses can cause this symptom, too. These include the common cold, a sinus infection, post-nasal drip, and acid reflux. Sore throats caused by other medical conditions usually improve on their own with or without treatment in a few days.

Diagnosis

If you complain of a persistent sore throat, your doctor will examine your throat and check for signs of inflammation. Your doctor may also check your neck for swollen lymph nodes and ask about other symptoms. If your doctor suspects strep throat, he or she may do a rapid strep test in the office.

This test determines whether your sore throat is caused by a strep infection or another type of bacteria/germ. Your doctor swabs the back of your throat with a long cotton swab, collecting a sample. Your doctor will then send the sample to the lab to look for signs of bacteria. Results are available in about five minutes. If your rapid strep test is negative, but your doctor feels that you have strep throat, he or she can send your sample to an outside lab for additional testing. These results are available within a few days.

Treatment for Strep Throat

Antibiotics

If you’re diagnosed with strep throat, your doctor will prescribe an antibiotic to treat the infection. These medications inhibit the spread of bacteria and infections. 

It is important that you finish your antibiotic treatment course in order to completely kill the infection. Some people stop taking their medication when symptoms improve, which can trigger a relapse, and symptoms may return.

At-Home Care

In addition to antibiotics, several home-care treatments can improve symptoms of strep throat. These remedies include:

• drinking warm liquids (lemon water and hot teas)
• drinking cold liquids to help numb the throat
• turning on a cool-mist humidifier
• taking over-the-counter pain relievers, such as ibuprofen or acetaminophen
• sucking on throat lozenges
• adding 1/2 teaspoon of salt to 1 cup of water and gargling the mixture

Prevention

If you suspect that you or your child has strep throat, avoid contact with other people until after you’ve been on an antibiotic for 48 hours. You are no longer contagious after this time. Because the strep bacteria can live on surfaces, you should throw away toothbrushes and pacifiers once you or your child is no longer contagious. This is necessary to avoid a re-infection.

Caution:

If treated, symptoms of strep throat improve within one week. But if left untreated, strep throat can cause serious complications. These complications include:

• Ear infection

• Sinusitis

• Rheumatic fever—inflammatory disease that affects the joints, the heart, and skin

• Post-streptococcal glomerulonephritis—inflammation of the kidneys

• Mastoiditis—infection of the mastoid bone in the skull

• Scarlet fever—toxins created by the strep infection cause a scarlet-colored rash to develop on different parts of the body

• Guttate psoriasis—condition that causes small red teardrop spots to appear on the body

• Peritonsillar abscess—pus-filled infection develops in the back of the tonsils

To reduce your risk of complications, contact your doctor if your strep throat symptoms do not improve within 48 hours of taking an antibiotic. He or she may need to prescribe a different type of antibiotic to fight the infection.

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8 Benefits of Cucumber Water You Must Know

Cucumber water is a fantastic thirst quencher that you will definitely want to consider the next time you need to rehydrate. Here are Eight benefits of drinking the refreshing water.

1. Super Hydration

Water is the most hydrating drink that you can consume, and when you add cucumbers to your water, it becomes tastier and promotes you to drink more. If you don’t like the taste of plain water, then you may need to add fruits and veggies to your water in order to infuse your water with different flavors. Adding cucumbers to your water is a great way to infuse your water with vitamins, minerals and flavor. Cucumbers are mild in taste and can add just enough flavor to your water that you actually want to drink it. This means that you will drink more water, and boost your health and your energy.

2. Rich with Vitamins and Minerals 

Water is essential for your health, but by itself, it doesn’t have any vitamins or minerals. However, when you add cucumbers to your water, you can add vitamins and minerals that will supplement your diet. Cucumbers are bursting with vitamins and minerals, and you can gain all of these minerals and vitamins by adding a few cucumber slices to your water. 

3. Helps Lower Blood Pressure 

If your blood pressure isn’t in check, then you may be putting yourself at risk for heart problems, kidney disease, vision loss and strokes. By drinking cucumber water you can keep your hydration levels high, and keep your blood pressure low. Cucumbers contain potassium, which can help regulate your blood pressure naturally. Plus, they are free of sodium, which makes them fantastic vegetables to eat when you are trying to lower you blood pressure. Eating sodium-rich foods can actually raise your blood pressure, so cucumbers are fantastic options to help lower and regulate your blood pressure. 

4. Suppresses Your Appetite 

Drinking just one glass of cucumber water per day can really help suppress your appetite and help you lose weight. If you are trying desperately to lose weight, but aren’t having any luck, then you may want to add cucumber water to your daily diet. Simply drink one glass of cucumber water whenever you are feeling hungry, and the water can curb your appetite and help you make it to the next meal without eat a snack. Overtime, you can lose any excess weight by cutting your calories and boost your overall health. 

5. Soothes Your Skin 

When you are hydrated, your body works at optimal levels. Staying hydrated is absolutely essential to your overall health and wellness. Drinking water can make you healthier on the inside and on the outside. Plus, drinking cucumber water can make your skin look supple and strong. Adding cucumbers to your water can keep your skin clear, healthy and supple as you age. Since cucumbers contain vitamins and minerals, you are getting extra nutrients each time you drink a glass. Plus, cucumbers also contain silica, which helps calm any irritation and inflammation in your skin. This will promote healthy skin, and keep any blemishes from popping up on your face. 

6. Detoxifies Your Body 

Every once in a while, you just need to step away from the bad food choices and detoxify your body. Detoxing your body can clean your blood of any unnecessary toxins, and can keep your immune system healthy and your overall body strong. Detoxing often sounds really boring, and definitely not fun, but, detoxing doesn’t have to be a nuisance. The next time you want to detoxify your body, eat a diet that is full of fruits and veggies and add cucumber water to your diet. The nutrients and antioxidants found in cucumber water can help your body stay hydrated and healthy. The antioxidants can scavenge any free radicals you have in your bloodstream, and the nutrients can replenish your nutrient stores in your body and keep you healthy. Plus, the compounds found in cucumber water can actually keep your appetite in check during your detox diet, and ensure that you won’t slip up and grab the donut or piece of pizza that you really desire during your detox diet. 

Try this recipe

7. Boost Bone Health 

Cucumbers are bursting with Vitamin K, which has been shown to reduce the risk of bone fractures in men and women as they grow older. Eating raw cucumbers or drinking cucumber water can keep your bones healthy as you grow older. Plus, vitamin K is also crucial for blood clotting. Thus, it is incredibly important that you always get enough vitamin K, otherwise your blood clotting process may be disrupted. 

Stronger bone

8. Protects Your Brain 

Cucumber water contains a flavonol compound known as fisetin which is super anti-inflammatory. This flavonol compound has been shown to reduce inflammation throughout the body and the brain. Plus, it may be able to improve your memory and protect your neurons as you grow older. This means, that by drinking cucumber water, you may be able to reduce your risks of cognitive decline as you grow older. 

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5 Common Cancer Myths You Shouldn't Believe Anymore

They say what you don't know can't hurt you. But when it comes to cancer, it's what you think you know that could actually kill you. It's time to correct 5 commonly held, but false beliefs about the big C.

Cancer Myth

MYTH #1: Cell Phones and Artificial Sweeteners Cause Cancer.

THE TRUTH: Despite the chain email your great-aunt forwarded you, "there is absolutely no evidence at this time that any of these things are associated with human cancers," says Jack Jacoub, MD, medical oncologist at Memorial Care Cancer Institute at Orange Coast Memorial Medical Center in Fountain Valley, Calif.

So where'd the info even come from? Animal studies back in the 1970s linked artificial sweeteners to cancer, but the same findings didn't pan out in humans, according to the National Cancer Institute. 

And though some studies have shown an association between cell phones and brain cancer, others have demonstrated none—and groups such as the Food and Drug Administration and the World Health Organization say there's insufficient evidence to support any health harms.

So, where is the rumors come from?

Bottom line: To get the biggest bang for your cancer-prevention buck, try to focus on things that have been scientifically proven to reduce cancer risk, says Jacoub. Cut back on booze, quit smoking, eat more vegetables, and keep your weight in check with plenty of exercise.

Quit Smoking is better than believing some myth

MYTH #2: People with Darker Skin Can't Get Skin Cancer.

THE TRUTH: Fair skin does boost your odds of developing both deadly melanoma and other types of skin cancer. But no hue grants you immunity from the disease, says Joshua Fox, MD, medical director of Advanced Dermatology, PC, in New York—especially if you fail to take preventive measures.

So that make them lower risk for getting skin cancer?

Dark-skinned patients and even their doctors can easily miss the warning signs of skin cancer, which frequently appear in often-overlooked places such as under their nails or on the palms, soles of the feet, and mucus membranes around the mouth, eyelid, and genitals, he notes. As a result, they're often diagnosed at later stages, when cancers have become more difficult to treat.

Darker skin sometimes can mask the symptoms of skin cancer

MYTH #3: Excess Fat Only Affects Your Heart, but Not Your Cancer Risk.

THE TRUTH: According to the American Cancer Society, extra pounds weight into as many as 1 in 5 cancer deaths. Being too heavy increases your risk of colorectal, kidney, pancreatic, gallbladder, thyroid, and prostate cancers, among others. And it may also worsen your prognosis if you do get sick.

This might be because being overweight means you have more than your share of inflammation. And that may turn normal cells cancerous by altering DNA or flipping the balance between the rate new cells form and old ones die off. Compounds released by fat cells, including estrogen, adipokines, and insulin-like growth factor can do the same thing, Jacoub says.

What's more, obesity often goes hand-in-hand with a diet high in harmful fats and low in cancer-fighting fruits and vegetables—a carcinogenic double-whammy, says Scott Shelfo, MD, medical director of urology at Cancer Treatment Centers of America at Southeastern in Atlanta.

Too much of harmful fats

MYTH #4: Cancer Can Never Spread from Person to Person.

THE TRUTH: True, you can't catch cancer from someone else who has it. But think again, some cancer-causing viruses most definitely qualify as contagious. In fact, over the last decade or so, human papillomavirus (HPV) has dramatically changed the demographic of people coming down with mouth and throat cancers, says Robert Haddad, MD, disease center leader, head and neck oncology at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston.

These cancers were once reserved for older smokers and heavy drinkers, but as many as 70% of them can now be attributed to HPV infection. The virus spreads during oral sex and can cause cancer years later, like when men hit their 40s and 50s.

Most people who have had sex eventually contract at least one strain of HPV, but the majority won't turn into cancer, Haddad says.

Get a HPV vaccination for your own protection 

MYTH #5: Getting a "Base Tan" Can Protects You from Skin Cancer.

THE TRUTH: It's time to banish the phrase "healthy glow," Fox says. Skin darkened by UV rays, whether from the sun or a tanning bed, has already sustained damage that contributes to cancer risk. That's not to mention wrinkles, dull skin, sagging, brown spots, and other signs of ageing.

Like to getting tanned?

Plus, that baseline bronzing provides you with only minimal sun protection—equivalent to an SPF of 3, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And even a single sunburn boosts your odds of deadly melanoma, Fox says.

According to CDC, Getting Tanned increase the risk of getting skin cancer

Bottom line: Sunscreen is a vital step, but should serve as a secondary strategy. Start by minimizing your time under the sun between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m., when UV rays beam strongest.

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