Health

July 2, 2013 By Kelly 6 Comments

5 Tips For Healthier Summer Grilling

Grill season is here! Getting ready for a fun 4th of July BBQ with friends and family? Before you fire up the grill and enjoy those yummy burgers, hot dogs and steaks as we honor our great country’s independence check out these tips to help make your grilling experience a little healthier.

1. Marinate
Heterocuclic amines (HCAs) are substances that form when a chemical found in muscle called creatine reacts with amino acids which are the building blocks of protein during high heat grilling and pan frying. Research shows that these compounds increase the risk of certain cancers such as stomach cancer. Marinated meats produce less of these substances. Lemon and vinegar based marinades work well because the acidity prevents HCAs from adhering to the meat. Marinating with fresh or dried herbs such as rosemary, oregano, sage or thyme lowers risk of the cancer causing compounds by up to 90%. Are you a beer drinker? Crack open a bottle, marinating meat in beer can slash the risk by 88%

2. Don’t Overcook
You can also help counteract the adverse effects of HCAs by not over cooking the meat, frequently turning meat on the grill, cooking at lower temperatures and using smaller cuts of meat

3. Be Careful With Raw Meat
Keep food in the refrigerator right up until the time you’re ready to throw it on the grill. Handle raw meats properly, cross contamination is the leading cause of food poisoning. Use different cutting boards for meats and veggies and wash your hands and untensils regularly. Wash fruits and vegetables thoroughly to remove pathogens

4. Don’t Leave Perishable Foods Out
When left out, food can begin to develop harmful bacteria after 2 hours. Various bacteria can cause food poisoning so put all perishable foods back in the frig within that time frame

5. Choose Grass-fed Beef
It has more omega-3 fatty acids and conjugated linoleic acid. It’s also lower in fat and calories. Organic is best. Use a food thermometer to make sure your food is cooked to the proper temperatures. Throw some veggies on the grill too, they taste sublime when they are grilled and you’ll get a nice dose of antioxidants. Happy grilling!

June 11, 2013 By Kelly Leave a Comment

What’s Your Real Age?

“You have a great deal of control over real age. You can’t control your genetics but almost everything else you can control. I would estimate that 80% of aging that we get we can reduce” ~Dr. Keith Roach, Chief Medical Officer, Real Age

Did you catch the Dr. Oz episode where he gave viewers the Real Age Test? It’s been around for years, I first took it back when my ‘real age’ was 25. My ‘real age’ isn’t quite that young anymore but fortunately it’s still younger than my biological age. Guess I’m doing something right. The test was formulated by Dr. Roizen and Dr. Oz. The questions zero in on your health habits and lifestyle to determine how young you actually are based on your answers. Visit their site and click Real Age Test. Take it, it’s fun! Well, maybe it’s not so fun if your real age is older than your chronological age but it’s important to know because if you test older, it’s time to reevaluate your lifestyle.

Raquel Welch… a healthy ageless beauty

If you test younger, good for you! If your ‘real age’ happens to be older, don’t feel bad, take it as a challenge to make some changes and get healthy. Perhaps you need to eat better, drink less alcohol, start meditating, stop smoking, lose weight, get more sleep, start exercising, get a physical or all of the above! A few positive tweaks to your lifestyle really can make a difference. Here’s the story of one woman who vastly changed her life for the better after learning her test results…

June 7, 2013 By Kelly 1 Comment

Cell Phone Use And Radiation ~ Should We Be Concerned? Part II

More and more studies are discovering links between cell phone use and tumors. Part I of this article was published last week, you can read it here. As I stated in that post, scientists at the World Health Organization [WHO] conducted a world wide study revealing that just 30 minutes a day of cell phone use for 10 years increased the risk of a rare brain tumor by 40%. This is of particular concern for children because they absorb 10 times the amount of radiation as an adult. Some countries ban children from using cell phones because of the health risk.

Distracted driving isn’t the only reason using a cell phone in the car is dangerous. According to the Research Center for Wireless Technology, when you use a cell phone in the car, the reflective properties of the car’s metal chassis and frame increases the radiation exposure exponentially to everyone in the car, not just the person using the phone. This also occurs inside buses, motor homes and elevators.

The health risks that cell phones potentially cause is an ongoing concern, one that needs more research. We are still using cell phone radiation safety standards that were put in place 17 years ago! The FCC is FINALLY reevaluating them and the Environmental Working Group has launched a campaign to make sure it gets done! Love that EWG! In the mean time, there are steps we can take to keep ourselves safer and limit exposure to cell phone radiation:

Use the speaker phone when possible
Only make calls when necessary and keep them short
Turn the phone off if it’s in your pocket
Wear an air tube headset – avoid wireless headsets, they intensify radiation to the ear canal
Allow children to use a cell phone only for emergencies
If you must use the phone in the car, make sure a window is open

Remember, there was a time when cigarettes were believed to be harmless. Considering what we now know about cigarettes it’s shocking to think that women actually smoked while they were pregnant. It will be interesting to see what we learn about cell phone use in the coming years. Forward this and part I of this article to your friends, anyone who uses a cell phone should be aware of the risks, especially those who have given cell phones to their children.

June 3, 2013 By Kelly 2 Comments

5 Natural & Easy Ways To Boost Weight Loss

Enjoy Some Tea Time White tea contains high levels of epigallocatechin-3-gallate [EGCG], a catechin that helps you burn fat cells and stimulates them to stop growing. I like the sound of that! In a 12 week study, subjects lost 10% of their waist size after drinking 2 cups each day. Drink it hot becasue heat stimulates the body’s ability to absorb the EGCG
Replace your oils and butter with virgin organic unrefined coconut oil Studies have found that 2 tablespoons each day changes and increases the metabolism and help participants lose weight. It’s a fat but less than half of what you consume actually converts to fat in your body so you’re absorbing healthy calories that aren’t making you fat. Get those 2 tablespoons by spreading it on toast, using it when you cook and bake, and making popcorn: make it on the stove in a pot with a thin layer of coconut oil on the bottm, then a layer of popcorn, put the top on and shake until the popping stops. You can drizzle some on top too
Try chia seeds Add 2 tablespoons of raw chia seeds to a glass of water and drink after breakfast. They give you energy and cut your apppetite
Be realistic about how much you’re eating Most of us think we eat 20% less than what we actually consume everyday. Your current weight multiplied by 12 is the number of calories you need to maintain that weight. Eat fewer calories than that and you’ll drop some LBs
Eat Grapefruit In a recent study, participants who ate half a grapefruit before every meal lost 3.6 pounds over a 12 week period. Do this and you’ll also get a good dose of vitamin C

May 31, 2013 By Kelly Leave a Comment

Cell Phone Use And Radiation ~ Should We Be Concerned? Part I

Who among us doesn’t rely on our cell phones every single day? I was charging mine the other day, nearly forgot it as I was running out of the house and the thought occurred to me, how did we ever live without these things?! But how much radiation are we really being exposed to?

A report released from the Environmental Health Trust [EHT] says that governmental testing of cell phone radiation is highly inaccurate. “Unsurprising, biased and misleading,” is what EHT President, cancer epidemiologist, Devra Davis, PhD, MPHT says about a recent Danish study that underplayed the cancer risk from cell phone use.

The tests conducted by the Federal Communication Commission [FCC] are based on old science, old cell phone models and they do not take into consideration the increase of current cell phone use. Their tests are done on mannequins emulating a 220 pound man who is 6’2″ tall, this does not represent most of the population.

Not too worried about yourself? Think twice when it comes to your kids’ cell phone use. Children absorb radiation at a far higher rate than adults. Radiation goes 150% deeper into the head of a 10 year old child than it does an adult’s head; radiation goes even deeper into that of a 5 year old.

One study shows that the bone marrow of a child absorbs 10 times the amount of radiation as an adult. The radiation “limits” allowed by governmental studies pertain to adult men not children. It’s cause for concern, particularly for kids who have their own cell phone or for kids who frequently use their parent’s cell phones for games and web surfing. EHT points out that some countries ban children from using cell phones because of the health risk.

Scientists at the World Health Organization [WHO] believe that cell phones are carcinogenic. ABC News reported that WHO conducted a world wide study revealing that just 30 minutes a day of cell phone use for 10 years increased the risk of a rare brain tumor by 40%.

Be sure to check out part II is this series which includes cell phone safety tips.

May 9, 2013 By Kelly Leave a Comment

The 80/20 Rule

My friend Jamie loves her Victoria’s Secret lotion, it smells so good she gets compliments when she wears it. She happens to be very health conscience and eco savvy so I asked if she was concerned about the parabens and chemicals in it. She had a great point. She said she’s so careful about most things she uses that she’s just not going to worry about it.

That’s my philosophy, my own little 80/20 rule: 80% of the time I live as clean and healthy as possible and about 20% of the time I let things slide a bit. Not to be confused with the original 80/20 Principal suggested by business-management consultant Joseph M. Juran based on Italian Economist Vilfredo Pareto’s theory that in business it’s usually 20 percent of what you do that produces 80 percent of the total result. I’ve often heard nutritionists talk about the 80/20 rule when it comes to diet: eat healthy 80% of the time and relax a little the rest of the time.

I can live with that. It’s doable and makes sense. I eat well but I gotta have some ice cream or frozen yogurt to give my sweet tooth a little satisfaction. Do I make sure my kids eat healthy balanced meals the majority of the time? Absolutely, but do I take them to McDonalds once in a while? Sure. How about you? Are you 80/20, 50/50, 100%?

You know how passionate I am about green, clean chemical free living; most of my personal care products are pure and earth friendly but my favorite perfume isn’t. I love the smell and get loads of compliments when I have it spritzed on, so until I find a suitable eco replacement, it falls under that 20%.

I also appreciate a couple of shots of a good tequila or vodka once in a while and I’m not going to feel guilty about enjoying my favorite gluten free chocolate chip cookies with a nice cup of coffee when the craving strikes! Hard core tree huggers might not be happy about this but you can only do what you can do and every little bit helps. About 20% of the time I’m more carefree, loosen up the ‘rules’ and live a little. Striving for perfection isn’t realistic. As my wise mom used to say, “everything in moderation.”

April 12, 2013 By Kelly Leave a Comment

BPA Is The New Nicotine

There has been more bad news about Bisphenol A (BPA) than just about any other substance over the last few years but some people still are unaware of just how hazardous it is. Several studies have sited the dangers of BPA and it’s harmful effects on our health even at low doses. It imitates estrogen so it disrupts our endocrine system and messes with our hormones. It’s been associated with breast and prostate cancer, heart disease, premature puberty, neurological problems in infants, male sexual dysfunction, miscarriage, fertility problems, obesity, liver abnormalities and diabetes.

Even the American Medical Association (AMA) has reported that it officially recognizes BPA as an endocrine-disrupting agent and they are prompting manufacturers to warn consumers by clearly labeling products containing it. They were also quick to back the decision to ban the sale of products that contain BPA for babies.

It’s widely known that BPA is used in plastic but it might surprise you to find out that it is also in receipts and dollar bills among other things. Yep, just by touching those items your body is absorbing it. Lovely. It also leaches into food inside of cans because the inner lining of canned foods contains BPA. It gets into our food even without being heated.

It’s frustrating to believe you are making a healthy dinner for your family only to serve up the cancer causing compound. An interesting study was conducted last year by Silent Spring Institute and the Breast Cancer Fund. They found that when families ate fresh foods and avoided food in cans and food packaged in plastic for 3 days their BPA levels dropped on average by a whopping 60 percent! Canada no longer allows manufacturers to use it, it’s time for us to do the same.

There are alternatives, Janelle Sorensen, freelance environmentalist and former CCO, Healthy Child, Healthy World says, “Eden Foods uses a safer material and has agreed to make their ‘trade secrets’ public. The key to successful change is finding feasible alternatives. We have those in hand so with sustained consumer pressure, it shouldn’t be too long before we see the end of BPA used in food and beverage products.” I buy Eden Foods almost exclusively when buying canned foods because of this. The Breast Cancer Fund launched their ‘Cans Not Cancer’ campaign to urge manufacturers to uses a safer alternative in the lining of canned foods. Eden Foods does it why can’t everyone else?!

April 8, 2013 By Kelly Leave a Comment

5 Things To Try That Will Energize & Motivate You

Try A New Sport I recently began taking tennis lessons with a few girlfriends and we are having a serious blast! Getting out in the fresh air and using your brain to actually learn the skill of a new sport is invigorating. We cart our kids around to all of their sporting events and practices, why not us?!

Volunteer It’s not news that doing good for others and giving of one’s time benefits the giver in many significant ways. Choose a cause that is near and dear to your heart and find out what type of help you can offer, even if it’s just 1 hour a week.

Get Plans On the Calendar Everyone is guilty of it, we run into someone we know and ‘talk’ about how we should get together. Pick up the phone, call one of those people you’ve been ‘meaning to make plans with,’ set a date, choose a venue and go have a good time!

Stop Wasting Time As busy as we are, we all do it to some extent. Take a look at some of the things that occupy your time and drop something that is holding you back, having a negative effect or just not furthering your cause.

Challenge Yourself It’s easy to get comfortable in our lives and just plug away day to day following the same routine. Is there something that you have always been tempted to try but were too scared… sky diving, bull riding, race car driving, running a marathon, learning an instrument, taking an exotic vacation, getting a tattoo… but fear is holding you back? Why not do it? Even if it’s something small, as Maya Angelou says, “do one thing every day that scares you.”

April 1, 2013 By Kelly 8 Comments

Healthy Bites ~ 5 Things You Can Do To Improve Your Health

Go bananas. They’re full of potassium which has many health benefits including lowering blood pressure, stress and anxiety as well as reducing your risk of stroke. Bananas also have resistant starch, a type of fiber that is not absorbed so neither are as many calories and it’s been shown to improve insulin sensitivity
Swimsuit season is here so there is no time like the present to kick it into gear and get into shape. Looking hot in a bikini is good motivation but an even better reason? Staying in shape is good cancer prevention. Being sedentary and over weight causes just as many cancer deaths as cigarette smoking! Research strongly suggests that fat encourages tumors to grow so hop on that treadmill while you watch the next episode of The Real Housewives
Feeling a little sluggish during the day? You might not be drinking enough water. Dehydration can make you feel tired and it may slow your metabolism down. Stay hydrated and you’ll be more alert. Make it more palatable by adding a few slices of lemon, lime or orange
Germs Like hard surfaces such as light switches, door knobs and remote controls so wipe them of regularly, especially after someone in your family has been ill. Research has found that one third of the surfaces in hotel rooms were still covered in germs a day later, even after the room was cleaned. Eeww. Good reason to pack some wipes.
Are you looking to add more fiber and omega-3 fatty acids to your diet? Sprinkle ground flax seeds on yogurt, cereal, smoothies, nut butters and add some to your pancake and cookie mixes