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Something Fishy In Our Diet
Author: John
There has been a lot of health news lately regarding omega-3’s, and it seems like everywhere you turn, new foods are being enhanced with this essential fatty acid, or labeled as an excellent source. What people don’t know is that there are different types of omegas, and eating too much of one kind can actually be harmful to your body.
Omega-3s are so important to heart health and to our general holistic wellness that most longstanding recommendations have been to consume two to three servings of fish per week or to take a fish oil supplement if you don’t eat fish. The American Heart Association recommends eating at least two fish meals a week. I personally eat fish often and also take 1 – 2 grams of supplemental fish oil a day.
Cod liver oil, and fatty fish like mackerel, lake trout, albacore tuna, sardines, herring and salmon all contain omega-3’s. Fish are the best sources because they are high in two particular fatty acids that are crucial to good health, DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) and EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid).
Posted in health and wellness | 
Tags: health and wellness, holistic wellness, men over 50, nutrition, women over 50 | 
46 Comments »
Some More Tips
Author: John
Some more tips to improve your health and wellness.
It’s 3 PM and you’re nodding off. What to do? Try a glass of water first, experts say, because fatigue can be a first sign of dehydration. If that doesn’t work, fuel up on one of these high-energy snacks:
- Oatmeal Its fiber keeps you full until dinner.
- Celery Top it with a little peanut butter and you’ve got a long lasting pick-me-up.
- Dark Chocolate Just a couple of bites may increase blood flow to the brain.
Leafy greens like spinach are packed with antioxidants that may fight cancer. But you won’t absorb most of these nutrients unless you mix the greens with a little fat, according to Iowa State University researchers. Enter avocado, which contains heart-healthy monounsaturated fat. Throw some into your spinach or lettuce salad to boost the antioxidant absorption at least eightfold.
Juice and sport drinks although healthier than sodas still have loads of sugar. Instead freeze pureed fruit in an ice cube tray and pop them into your glass instead and cut calories and sugar content.
Another way to cut down on sugar, try TruviaTM It is a sweetener derived from the leaves of the stevia plant. Try it in your coffee, tea or sprinkled on a bowl of cereal or fruit. A single packet provides the same sweetness as two teaspoons of sugar.
Rosemary Adding rosemary to marinades may cut your cancer risk – its antioxidants help combat potential carcinogens created when meats are broiled or grilled at high temperatures. Also adding cherry juice and beer or wine to the marinade may further help limit risks and improve your holistic wellness.
Just a few ideas to help make your life a little more healthy. I’m not a doctor or a nutritionist, just a regular guy who reads and passes along what info I find. So until next post -
Be well.
Reprinted from Health magazine
Posted in health and wellness |
Tags: brain health, health and wellness, holistic wellness |
17 Comments »
4 Tips To Improve Your Health
Author: John
I just read an article with a few great tips on health and wellness I’d like to share. Here are some of the highlights that might interest you.
1. A big splash of non-fat milk turns your morning java into a protein drink, giving you more stamina and a bone boost. If your out try Starbucks Grande Skinny Cinnamon Dolce Latte, a 130-calorie treat with 12 grams of protein and 40 percent of your daily calcium.
2. Want less colds or flu this winter? Wash your hands for about 20 seconds with soap and water every time you cook, use the bathroom, blow your nose, handle garbage or touch a public surface. Temperature of the water is immaterial to cold prevention but luke warm water is better for the skin on your hands.
3. Eating, brushing your teeth or combing your hair with your non-dominant hand challenges your brain and helps it think faster.
4. Want to live a little longer or at least live better for the time you have? Don’t smoke and walk at a quick pace for 20 minutes 3 times a week.
Be well.
Reprinted from:
- Health Magazine, November 2009
- Prevention Magazine, November 2009
Posted in health and wellness |
Tags: health and wellness, holistic health, men over 50, women over 50 |
33 Comments »
Typically, I focus my blog entries on health and wellness. However, today I came across several related articles, notably one from Mashable.com about the Barnes and Noble’s new e-reader, the Nook. This gives food for thought on how reading can enhance our overall health and wellness. It’s a well documented fact that keeping the mind active and engaged can increase or extend our brain cell’s life. So, let’s take a look at the Nook.
Some details about the Nook; 2 GB of storage on board (enough to hold about 1,500 eBooks), an SD slot for expanded storage up to 16 GB, and wireless capability. As for the wireless, with the wireless turned off, the battery will last a reported 10 days on a single charge, pretty good for a small battery. The OS will be Google’s amazing Android system. The device connects to the Barnes & Noble eBook store using a free 3G AT&T connection, but it does lack a web browser. The Nook will have an added feature, lacking in other eReaders — the ability to loan a book to a friend. The friend won’t even have to have a Nook — the LendMe feature can be used to loan a book to any device that will run the B&N eReader software, including Macs, PCs, BlackBerries and iPhones. The lending is limited to 2 weeks at a time, but nevertheless, this displays exceptional user-friendliness, which definitely out performs Amazon’s Kindle in this regard. It also supports the open ePub standard, again further undercutting Amazon’s proprietary content store. Unfortunately, in terms of available title selection, Barnes & Noble can’t quite compete with Amazon, for now. So, if you’re primarily in the market for obscure titles or authors, you might want to verify their availability in the Barnes & Noble store to make sure the content market behind this device lives up to your expectations.
Unlike the Kindle, the Nook has a Wi-Fi connection that customers will be able to use at Barnes & Noble’s more than 700 physical locations and 600 college stores in 50 states. The current version does not allow connection to Wi-Fi networks outside the stores, but will allow Nook owners to digitally browse complete titles while they’re in a Barnes & Noble store and read free content.
Pre-orders for the device are now available (a photo for your viewing pleasure is below), with an expected ship date in November. So, does the Nook pique your interest? Or one of the other gazillion eReaders that seem to be on market?
There are many uses and opportunities to implement the Nook in our daily lives. Besides the enjoyment of leisure reading, how about references and support data? Normally, when I need information about a certain subject I either go to the library or try to find it online. Although I have acquired a variety of books over the years, I still can’t carry them around in any quantity or easily find the exact reference I need at that exact moment. Especially when I’m away from home or writing articles for Holistic Wellness, I usually need to reference or lookup. In steps the Nook – convenient, compact and travel friendly. Having the ability to carry around 1500 books plus another 16 GB of written material could at times be certainly helpful, not to mention the ability to not pack or keep up with several books. Now, add the ability to lend a friend a helpful reference, your favorite book or a new article, this is definitely an added plus. What about the ability to carry multiple guide books while traveling without the “books”? I certainly wish I had it on our last trip. What a weight and space saver that would be! My hope here, now that one company is doing it, maybe – soon – we’ll be able to download books and magazines from the library just like regular books. What a thought . . . that future technology will help us, personally, with our health and wellness!
Be Well.
1
http://mashable.com/2009/10/20/nook-official/
http://www.wired.com/epicenter/2009/10/barnes-noble-unveils-nook-ebook-reader-again/
notes
1 Portions reprinted from http://mashable.com/2009/10/20/nook-official/
Author Barb Dybwad
Posted in health and wellness |
Tags: Barnes and Noble, health and wellness, holistic health, holistic wellness, Nook |
38 Comments »
Angie’s List
Author: John
Angie from Angie’s List A short video where Angie explains why medical gag orders go against your First Amendment rights (the opening commercial is short).
Have you ever run into a problem with a company and wished someone had told you about how bad that service was. If you lived in a small town or have lived in an area long enough you could probably ask your cousin or neighbor or a co-worker. But what if you are new to an area or you you have a new problem to solve and no one to ask about it.
Welcome to Angie’s List. They have a list on almost any service you can think of using. And they have comments about that service from REAL PEOPLE. That’s right, real people who have used the company or service provider and given their opinion, good or bad, for that service or company. And before the comments are posted, all reviews are checked in order to guard against companies that try to report on themselves or their competitors.
They are constantly adding areas, services and comments to their list. As each new person signs up, more and more information is added to the list.
Yes, this is a paid service. They have monthly, annually and multi-years rates, depending on what you want to pay. Their rates are highly reasonable and fair, considering the information you will receive. Even if Angie’s List is new to your area. They offer a free one-year membership for the first few months they are in your area. Members who sign up during this time period help them build the List. After your first year, you’ll have the option, not obligation, to renew your membership at the regular monthly or annual price.
More than 650,000 members nationwide use Angie’s List. The people who join Angie’s List are like you – looking for a way to find trustworthy companies that perform high quality work.
Member benefits include:
* 24-hour access to the reports and reviews at AngiesList.com
Just think how valuable that would be at 11:00 pm on a Saturday night and the air conditioner goes out.
* Real-live support through Angie’s award-winning call center
* Angie’s List Magazine
An email version will be delivered to members with complimentary memberships. Paying members also receive a hard copy in the mail.
* Coupons and discounts from highly rated service companies.
* Access to Angie’s Complaint Resolution Process
If you don’t receive the quality of work that you expected from a service company, Angie’s works to resolve the situation on your behalf.
Angie’s Complaint Resolution Process is an excellent service. It’s a service designed exclusively for Angie’s List members to help restore communication between you and a company you’re having a problem with.
If your complaint qualifies (go to AngiesList.com for the rules of the game), they will contact the company in question on your behalf. And space permitting, they may print the outcome of your complaint in their magazine and on their website — good or bad!
Companies that don’t respond to your complaints end up in the “Penalty Box,” and their name appears in the magazine for three consecutive months.
They have helped a lot of our members get refunds, repairs and re-dos for remodeling jobs of all types. How? There’s power in numbers, and you have the strength of the entire Angie’s List membership base behind you.
And that is the real worth in an Angie’s List membership. As a single individual, you may feel powerless against a company but with 650,000 people to stand with you, you are a veritable giant. So check it out, click on the box in the left column or on the highlighted links in the text, I think you will be pleasantly suprised.
