FEATURED ARTICLES

• omega-3 fatty acids
• sports related inuries
• summer injuries
• adjusting your diet
• enjoy sports
• summertime activities
• anti-inflammatory foods
• extra virgin olive oil
• reduce inflammation

Details

Written by Lisa Jillanza

The summer months are the perfect time to get outdoors and enjoy sports and other summertime activities. But sports and activity-related injuries can happen at any age, so it's best to be made aware of foods that can reduce inflammation, the leading cause of summertime injuries.

There are a number of anti-inflammatory foods that are out on the market that you can buy and add to your daily diet that can help reduce the number of injuries that may plague you over the summer. According to MSNBC.com, some of these include:

Omega-3 fatty acids- While other foods increase levels of inflammation in the body, omega-3s actually work to decrease inflammation by suppressing the production of cytokines and enzymes that erode cartilage. Some of the best foods for Omega -3 fatty acids include: salmon (wild, fresh or canned), herring, mackerel (not king), sardines, anchovies, rainbow trout, Pacific oysters, omega-3 fortified eggs, ground flaxseeds, walnuts, seaweed, and soybeans.

Extra virgin olive oil- Olive oil contains the “good” monounsaturated fat, which protects the body against inflammation because it contains antioxidants called polyphenols. Try using olive oil when cooking, instead of vegetable oil or butter. Don't load it on; just substitute one for the other in equal or lesser amounts. For the highest antioxidant content, choose “extra virgin” olive oil.

Antioxidants- Inflammation produces free radicals, those cell-damaging molecules that are formed in response to toxins or natural body processes. Antioxidants, such as vitamin C, selenium, carotenes, and bioflavonoids, protect the body from the effects of free radicals, and are a critical part of an anti-inflammation diet.

Vitamin C- Some of the best foods include guava, peppers (yellow/red/green), oranges, grapefruits, strawberries, pineapple, kohlrabi, papayas, lemons, broccoli, kale, potatoes and Brussels sprouts.

Selenium- Some of the best foods include Brazil nuts, tuna (canned light in water), crab, oysters, tilapia, lean beef, cod, shrimp, wheat germ and whole grains

Beta carotene- Some of the best foods include sweet potato, carrots, kale, butternut squash, turnip greens, pumpkin, mustard greens, cantaloupe, sweet red pepper, apricots and spinach.

Beta cryptoxanthin- Some of the best foods include winter squash, pumpkins, persimmons, papaya, tangerines, peppers (red chili and red bell), corn, oranges, apricots, carrots, nectarine, and watermelon.

Quercetin- Some of the best foods include onions (red, yellow, white), kale, leek, cherry tomatoes, broccoli, blueberries, black currants, elderberries, ligonberries, cocoa powder (unsweetened), apricot, apple with skin (*Red Delicious), and red/purple/black grapes.

Anthocyanidins- Some of the best foods include blackberries, black currents, blueberries, eggplant, elderberries, cherries, boysenberries, red/black/purple grapes, strawberries, plum, cranberries, rhubarb, red wine, red onion, and apples.

Vitamin D- Although we mostly think of vitamin D as important for bone strength, it is also critical for a number of other body functions, including joint health. Some of the best foods for Vitamin D include, wild salmon, mackerel (not king), sardines, herring, milk (skim, 1 percent, low-fat, skim plus), enriched soy milk, egg yolks, and mushrooms.

Spices- Certain spices, such as ginger and turmeric, seem to have anti-inflammatory effects. Among the most promising are ginger and turmeric.

All of these foods will help to reduce inflammation and help you better enjoy your sports and your summer, too.

• grocery store
• best grocery picks
• grocery shopping
• best packaged foods
• power foods
• condiments and spreads
• making healthy meals

Details

Written by Lisa Jillanza

Thanks to Women's Health Magazine grocery shopping just got a whole lot easier. The magazine recently highlighted the best packaged foods that you can currently find in your grocery store aisles. This is the second year that they have given this complete list of “power foods” that will help anyone take the guesswork out of their next trip to the store to find healthy choices. Their team of nutritionists tested aisles' worth of items for their annual roundup of the healthiest, tastiest, and most convenient supermarket finds.

Try foods in each of these categories to create the best meals for you and your family:

Breads: Whole grain bread, whole wheat bread, pita bread, English muffin, fiber cereal, Special K cereal, pomegranate cereal, oatmeal, granola, bagel.

Meats: Organic chicken, deli meat, bacon, barbecued beef, roast beef, roast chicken, chicken strips, chicken brats, salmon, salmon burger.

Pasta: Fiber pasta, whole wheat pasta, elbow noodle, tortellini, wide noodle, Asian noodle, risotto, instant rice, flavored rice, best couscous, polenta.

Dairy: Whipped cream, Greek yogurt, fruit yogurt, organic yogurt, smoothie, string cheese, cheddar cheese, Muenster cheese, cottage cheese, farmer cheese, soy milk, skim milk, eggs, egg whites, sour cream, butter substitute.

Fruits and Vegetables: Fruit salad, organic applesauce, plum, mixed fruit, mango, sweet potatoes, green beans, salad, diced tomatoes, black soy bean, vegetable mix, Brussels sprouts, Asian vegetables, stir-fry medley.

Soup: Broccoli soup, steak and noodle soup, Italian soup, chicken gumbo, red pepper and tomato, acorn squash and mango soup.

Snacks: Natural bar, probiotic bar, peanuts, almond, rice snack chip, tortilla chip, pretzels, popcorn, crackers, grain crackers.

Frozen Meals: Chicken primavera, turkey medallions, macaroni and cheese, vegetable lasagna, pizza, black bean burger.

Condiments and Spreads: Mayonnaise, peanut butter, almond butter, jam, fruit spread, maple syrup, hummus, salsa, marinara sauce, berry dressing, organic dressing, garlic dressing, ginger dressing, mustard dressing, ketchup, light mayo.

Sweets: Chocolate cookies, peanut butter cookies, brownie, chocolate bar, marshmallows, pudding, dark chocolate, dark chocolate blueberry, ice cream sandwich, fudge bar, cookie dough ice cream, ice cream cone, ice cream.

Drinks: Orange juice, diet drink, hot tea, cold tea, breakfast drink, hunger-tamer, hot chocolate, vegetable juice, grapefruit juice, plum juice.

While not all of these food items will work for you and your family, these suggestions can lead you in the right direction the next time you are “in the market” for making healthy meals. By being a smarter and more informed shopper you can choose the best meals each and every time you visit the grocery store.

• clean produce
• improve your health
• detoxify your diet
• chemically-laden foods
• highly processed food
• think organic
• choose whole foods
• safer seafood

Details

Written by Lisa Jillanza

Food is much more complicated than it used to be. Compared to times past we're able to eat a greater variety of foods, we can eat foods from far-away places and even when they're not in season but as a result we also consume a lot more highly processed and chemically-laden foods. Only by eating cleaner and purer foods can we truly achieve the kind of health that we desire. Take this advice when attempting to detoxify your diet and reduce your exposure to these unwanted ingredients.

Clean Produce Well: Before eating or cooking with any fruits or vegetables be sure to wash them very well. Washing your fruits and veggies eliminates the chemicals and pathogens from your food's surface and help to eliminate any harmful ingredients.

Watch Your Animal Fat Intake: Do you know what's in your animal fats? They are loaded with synthetic hormones, antibiotics, organochlorine chemicals, and other harmful pesticides. Look for low-fat options when buying your foods and be sure to trim all of the fat off of poultry and meats when you buy them.

Avoid Cans: Cans are lined with a resin that contains bisphenol-A, a hormone-disrupting chemical. While many companies are working to eliminate these chemicals in their products, in the mean time you can avoid these chemicals by choosing frozen, fresh or dried foods.

Think Organic: According to a study done by the Environmental Working Group, your pesticide exposure can be eliminated by 90 percent by avoiding the most contaminated conventionally grown produce including: peaches, apples, bell peppers, nectarines, celery, cherries, lettuce, strawberries, grapes, carrots and pears.

Choose Whole Foods: Whole foods are not processed therefore they have their own natural ingredients. Choose whole grains and look for food items that say “whole” on them,but be sure to check the labels, just to be sure.

Safer Seafood: We are exposed to a number of chemicals when we eat seafood, particular methylmercury. Do your homework when shopping for seafood and choose seafood that has the lowest chemical and heavy metal amounts. Try choosing fish that are also caught without causing harm to the oceans.

• burn calories
• treadmill workout
• treadmill exercise
• warm up
• cardio machine
• work out slowly
• cool down

Details

Written by Lisa Jillanza

Has your treadmill become a haven for dust and drying clothes rather than using it as the fat burning cardio machine that it was created to be? Or maybe you are consistently working out on your treadmill but are getting tired and bored with the same old routine. Why not spice things up and increase the efficacy of this exercise machine standard. Below are a few tips and an easy treadmill workout with which you could potentially burn a quick 2,000 calories in just seven days.

According to Treadmilltalk.com a common treadmill mistake involves starting out at the pace you want to maintain without warming up and without pacing yourself. Treadmill exercise like this will quickly lead to sore muscles and possibly injuries, not to mention frustration. It also means you aren't using all of your lower body muscles effectively.

There are several important elements to effective treadmill exercise. A few things to keep in mind are:

Always warm up- It is essential to stretch your muscles and warm them up slowly by walking at a speed of no more than 1.5 to 2 mph for a minute or two. Switching from the heels to the toes for thirty seconds each, then stretching out your stride for another minute will help stretch all muscles properly.

Increase your workout slowly- You should stay at one level for four weeks before moving on to the next level of difficulty. Any faster and you risk over-tasking your muscles or sustaining an injury. This is one of the most important tips for treadmill workouts to keep in mind. Burn-out is frequently the result of trying to rush to results.

Always cool down- Hopping off the treadmill after running and sitting down is an invitation for muscle cramps or worse. You need to slow down the pace and allow your muscles and heart rate to return to normal while you are moving.

Another common mistake with treadmill exercise is simply stepping on and walking or jogging at the same speed for twenty or thirty minutes. This will only succeed in making you very tired and very bored. It also isn't a very efficient workout. Try this easy treadmill workout instead.

Day One: Power walk : 30 minutes Strength train : 20 minutes

Day Two: Warm-up (walk easily, then briskly) : 3 minutes Power walk : 2 minutes Run fast (don't sprint) : 2 minutes Repeat steps 1 and 2 : 10 times Cool down (walk easily) : 2 minutes

Day Three: Warm-up (walk easily) : 5 minutes Do your favorite strength-training move : 12 reps Power walk (4-6% incline) : 3 minutes Repeat steps 1 and 2 : 6 times Cool down (walk easily) : 5 minutes

Day Four: Warm-up (walk easily, then briskly) : 3 minutes Power walk : 2 minutes Run fast (don't sprint) : 2 minutes Repeat steps 1 and 2 : 6 times Cool down (walk easily) : 3 minutes

Day Five: Repeat Day One's Routine

Day Six: Warm-up (Walk easily, then briskly) : 5 minutes Power walk : 2 minutes Run fast (don't sprint) : 4 minutes Repeat steps 1 and 2 : 6 times Cool down (walk easily) : 4 minutes

Day Seven: Rest

Repeat this workout weekly or every other week. Remember to mix up your workouts to keep things fresh and exciting.

• heart disease
• savory salmon
• high quality proteins
• beware of mercury
• saturated fat
• omega-e fatty acids
• essential amino acids
• healthy metabolism
• mercury poisoning

Details

Written by Lisa Jillanza

One of the healthiest foods that you can consume is fish, more specifically, salmon. Besides being an excellent source of Omega-3 Fatty Acids, salmon is also full of high-quality proteins and low in saturated fat.

Salmon has nearly a third of the saturated fat of lean ground beef and 50 percent less saturated fat than chicken, making it one of the healthiest items that you could eat. Salmon is also low in calories. One serving contains approximately 183 calories, making it one of the lowest in calories among other fish. In addition, eating foods like salmon, which contain very little trans-fatty acids, can help to reduce the risk of many diseases, like type II diabetes, heart disease and stroke.

Because salmon is chock full of protein, it contains sufficient amounts of every essential amino acid required by our bodies for growth and the upkeep of muscle tissue. These proteins also help our bodies to maintain a healthy metabolism, playing a key role in weight loss. In addition, eating salmon is one of the best ways to insure that we're getting enough Omega-3 fatty acids.

According to MSNBC.com, Omega-3's are a form of polyunsaturated fat that the body derives from food. Omega-3's (and Omega-6's) are known as essential fatty acids (EFAs) because they are essential for good health. They are essential to the development of healthy brains and other metabolically active tissues. Research shows that these fats do much more than regulate our brains: They can also lower risk of heart disease, arthritis, and cancer. They even help fight wrinkles and may block fat-cell formation. However, the body cannot make these fatty acids on its own so it's important that Omega-3's be obtained from food.

However, once you increase the amount of fish that you eat in order to reap the benefits, it's also important to maintain healthy levels of consumption in order to avoid mercury exposure. Some types of fish are loaded with mercury and other contaminants, like PCBs, dioxins, and pesticides.

Today Show Health Correspondent, Joy Bauer on MSNBC.com says that the main reason mercury is bad for your health is that it negatively affects the brain and nervous system. Mercury poisoning can also adversely affect vision, kidney function, fertility, blood pressure regulation and heart disease.

High mercury fish to avoid: swordfish, shark, tilefish, and king mackerel (a little mackerel is fine). Tuna's not great. If you buy canned tuna, you're better off with the chunk light kind versus albacore or white. The worst for “dioxins” is farm-raised Atlantic salmon, which is also high in PCBs and pesticides.

Some of the very, very safest and best fish to eat are anchovies, herring, Atlantic mackerel, wild salmon, sardines, crab, halibut, scallops, shrimp, and tilapia.