I found a great article that was actually pulled from a book entitled The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth.  The particular article I read listed 12 superfoods we need to be eating.  The article not only lists the foods, but gives reasons why.  Beans, broccoli, blueberries, and yogurt were all on the list.  Those seem to be some of the more common foods we relate to being healthy, but according to this author, peanut butter is not considered a food just for kids.   It’s packed with omega -3 fatty acids which help with heart disease.

Research is also finding that cocoa is also good for you, if eaten in small quantities.  The article suggests mixing a little into a morning smoothie.  Avocados are said to help increase blood flow, this increasing brain maturity.  Although healthy, avocados are a very high calorie food, and should be eaten as a side dish.

Knowing that I don’t need to eat a salad every meal to be healthy gives me more encouragement to change my eating patterns.  There are a lot of great foods and recipes out there that will help us become and then stay healthy so we can enjoy life.

Conjunctivitis, also called “pink eye,” is inflammation of the lining that covers the inside of the eyelid and surface of the eye (conjunctiva). Symptoms include red, weepy, itchy, or painful eyes. In many cases there is a clear or creamy discharge from the eye. The most common causes of conjunctivitis are bacteria, viruses, or an allergy to dust, mold, or pollen.
Antihistamines can help relieve the redness and irritation of allergic or viral conjunctivitis. Some over-the-counter antihistamine tablets include diphenhydramine (brand name Benadryl), chlorpheniramine (Chlor-Trimeton), loratadine (Claritin), and clemastine (Tavist-1). Antihistamine tablets other than Claritin can cause drowsiness, so use caution when driving or operating machinery while taking one of these medicines.

Eye drops that contain a decongestant, such as tetrahydrozoline (Visine), can also help to reduce redness. You can also buy antihistamine-and-decongestant combination eye drops like Naphcon-A. If you have certain medical conditions such as glaucoma, difficulty urinating, or high blood pressure, don’t take products containing a decongestant unless your doctor recommends them. And don’t use decongestant eye drops for more than three days in a row without checking with your doctor first.

Eyewashes like the Bausch & Lomb Eye Wash can help cleanse the eye and remove irritants like pollen and mold. Remember that over-the-counter medicines can help with symptoms of conjunctivitis, but they won’t cure cases that are caused by infections. Prescription antibiotics are the only effective therapy for conjunctivitis caused by bacteria. There is no cure for viral conjunctivitis, which usually goes away on its own in about one week. If your symptoms don’t respond to over-the-counter remedies, check with your doctor: You may have a bacterial infection that needs antibiotic treatment. Keep in mind that bacterial and viral conjunctivitis are very contagious. To avoid spreading the infection, wash your hands frequently and don’t share towels or eye makeup.

• A C-reactive protein level test: measures the inflammatory activity in your immune system (the lower, the better).
• Fasting glucose test: If you are overweight, get screened every three years; if not, start at age 45. A normal result is less than 100 mg/dl (milligrams per deciliter).
• Cholesterol, blood sugar and blood pressure: A rise in blood pressure, a spike in triglycerides and LDL cholesterol, and a larger-than-normal waist circumference might point to insulin resistance or pre-diabetes (also known as metabolic syndrome).

So, if you haven’t had a physical in a while, make and appointment and get your blood tests run. It’s the first step in ensuring your heart is healthy. Use the knowledge you find to your advantage and do what you need to to get your numbers where they should be. Remember your health is everything.

Diet soda may not have the sugar or calories of regular soda, but it’s chock-full of other health-draining chemicals, like caffeine, artificial sweeteners, sodium and phosphoric acid. All of theses ingredients have a slew of problems related to each one. Some experts are now exploring the possibility that artificial sweeteners confuse our taste buds and all those brain measures of satiety upon which we base what we eat. Certain data indicate that the body learns to predict caloric intake by the taste and texture of certain foods. When artificial sweeteners are introduced into the mix, our body sends the appropriate sweet signals to the brain but never delivers the sugar punch. They’ve gone as far as to say that people who drink diet soda versus those who drink regular soda are 41% more likely to be overweight.

With diet drinks, not only do you miss out on any nutrients provided by the real sugars your body might find useful if consumed in reasonable quantities, you also get a laundry list of suspicious ingredients that work against your body’s effort to maintain healthy a balance. The biggest ingredient is usually caffeine. Many of the diet drinks are cola-based or otherwise have caffeine added. It’s part of the mix created by manufacturers to make soft drinks — particularly diet soft drinks — seem more substantial. Yes, it gives you a sugar-like “boost,” or seems to, but that caffeine buzz really isn’t giving your body anything it needs. And the complications of caffeine consumption and addiction go hand in hand with fatigue, chronic anxiety and insomnia. Additionally, caffeine is a diuretic, so while you may be thinking that a diet soda quenches your thirst and helps keep you hydrated, the opposite is true. Diet soda often contains sodium, which exacerbates thirst, while the caffeine causes you to lose fluid.

I don’t mean to bag on anyone who drinks diet soda, I just think we need to take a second look at what we choose to consume. Oftentimes convenience and taste have a tendency to outweigh what’s healthy. We don’t always think of the long-run effects of what we are drinking. I found it interesting to learn about all of the side effects of consuming caffeine. I knew it wasn’t healthy, but had no idea how bad it truly was. So, grab a glass of water and do what’s best for your body!

I read a great article on CNN.com the other day about some critical things to know about cholesterol. It mentions 7 different areas to pay attention to. They are:

1. High cholesterol is surprisingly common. Nearly a quarter of women who are in their 30’s have border-line high levels of bad cholesterol, as do more than a third in their early 40’s and more than half in their early 50’s.
2. Your doctor may miss the problem. Women are better than men about seeing the doctor regularly, but the care they receive isn’t as good when it comes to preventing and treating cardiovascular disease.
3. Your numbers may trick you. Many people misunderstand the roles of so-called good and bad cholesterols.
4. You may need an inflammation test. The math used to estimate your heart disease risk is a little misleading. You may need additional testing.
5. Certain foods should be your best friend. Certain classes of food chemicals can actively and powerfully lower a person’s bad cholesterol.
6. Good cholesterol may have a bad side. We’ve been misled to think that a high HDL number is good. Studies are showing that HDL may actually have harmful proteins capable of boosting heart disease risks.
7. Your heart loves long walks. Walking 10 miles a week brings lasting improvements in your heart heath.

The article goes into quite a bit of detail on all seven areas listed above. You can read it here. I really enjoyed the read and have a better idea of how I need to understand what my cholesterol numbers should mean to me.

We’ve been told for decades to eat a bowl of oatmeal daily. There are a plethora of health benefits for doing so. Studies have shown that daily consumption of oatmeal can lower blood cholesterol. It can also reduce the risk of heart disease, when combined with a low-fat diet. It’s also full of fiber and takes longer than other foods to digest, helping you feel full longer. I’ve noticed since I switched out the cereal for oatmeal, that the kids are going much longer before they ask for a snack.

So, go through your pantry and get rid of the sugar cereal and switch it out for heart healthy oatmeal! You’ll be surprised at how well your children will like it!

When I was younger and before I had children, staying healthy was rather easy. I had always been aware of my diet and kept a good handle on how often I was active and exercised. Shortly after we were married in 2001, we decided to start our family. Then, we went full force and had 3 kids in 5 years! I will admit, that between pregnancy and the new shift of focus on these little ones, that I’ve forgotten myself in the process. I’m still relatively healthy and I’m only packing on a good extra 6 or 7 pounds than I should be. But, I’ve definitely only done the bare minimum to get there. Right after having a baby, I hit the gym hard for a good 6 months, and then when the majority of the weight is gone, I get lazy again! For me, the being happy part is so much easier than the becoming healthy part! Bear with me as I share a few things I’ve learned along the way that can help us get closer to finding a balance between health and happiness.

One thing that’s important to come to terms with is finding out what truly motivates you to be healthy. Is it the mere fact that you want to be healthy, or do you like working towards a goal? I’ve found for me I function so much better when working towards a goal rather than just wanting to be healthy. I know that’s not the ideal situation, but it works for me. If I have a clear goal that I’m working towards, that requires I be active and healthy to achieve it, I will work much harder at it. For instance, this last year I had a baby in March. I came home from the hospital with about 25 pounds to lose to get back to my ideal weight. I knew we were seeing some old friends from college in October, so I set my sights on reaching that goal by then. We joined a gym in July and I exercised like mad and cut out all the fun greasy food I love to eat so much during pregnancy. By October I had lost 20 pounds and looked good for our little trip out of state. Since returning from our little getaway, I’ve had to force myself to go to the gym! It’s silly, but it’s true. I like to use the holidays and sick kids as my excuse, but the fact is, I still have those last few pounds and my diet stinks!

This year I set my sights on participating in and completing a triathlon. Since I’m already in pretty good shape, I figured it was time to push myself and do something really hard. This will take a lot of time and energy to train for. As I’ve begun training for the running and biking parts, It’s really made me focus on my endurance and how long I can run or bike. It’s totally taken the focus off losing weight and shifted it towards finding out what I can do athletically. This has made a huge difference in my desire to work out. I’m doing it now to get ready for my big race and to get myself to the pool when it starts warming up next month. (I do live in Arizona and can swim outside in February!)

One thing that’s really helping me stay focused on eating right is simply feeding our children. I don’t want to help facilitate bad habits and poor health for them, so I’ve always given them the best. Lots of fruits and vegetables and whole grains. It’s so much easier to control someone else’s diet than your own! I’ve made myself treat myself like my children and take care of me accordingly. I really want to be around to see them grow and horse around and play with my grandbabies. Taking care of my health is the only way I can increase those odds.

The road to becoming happy most definitely starts with your attitude. I truly feel that we choose to be happy and we choose to respond to anything that happens to us in whatever manner we want. It’s rather easy to blame our moods and attitudes towards things on our childhood, a bad job, or whatever, but the bottom line is that we make a conscious choice to be happy or not. I’ve always felt happier when I know I’m doing my part to be healthy and active. The two really can work together. When we feel unhealthy and overweight, it’s easy to be crabby. You’ll find as you work toward happiness, you’ll want to be healthy, and as you work towards your health, you’ll be a happier person. The key is finding what works first for you. For me, the happy part comes first. When I’m making a conscious effort to be happy and be an enjoyable parent and spouse, I want to put the extra time and effort into my personal health. For others, after putting the time into their health, the happiness follows. No two people are the same.

Set clear and realistic expectations of yourself on this journey to health and happiness. You can start small and as you achieve your smaller goals, move to something big. Put into place a method of following up on the goals you have set. Progress is motivation in and of itself. By checking up on yourself you are doing yourself a big favor! Remember that your loved ones want to see you happy and healthy and that you are more than worth the extra time and effort it takes to get there.

• Special Diets: If you are a vegetarian or a vegan, consult with your doctor. They will know what kind of supplements you need to add to your diet.
• Protein: Lean meat, fish, poultry, dried beans or eggs are a great source of protein. Make sure you have several servings of them daily. Protein foods are rich sources of iron and zinc. Other foods rich in protein are milk, yogurt and tofu.
• Dairy: To get adequate amounts of calcium and vitamin D, try to have 3 servings of dairy daily. Milk, yogurt and cheese are great dairy products. If you don’t like to drink milk, try the soy milk. Soy dairy products usually have extra calcium and vitamin D added as well.
• Complex Carbohydrates: A large portion of your meals should come from complex carbohydrates such as whole grain pasta, breads, cereals and rice. These all provide vitamins, minerals and fiber. Aim for several servings at each meal.
• Fruits and Vegetables: Aim to have 5 or more servings daily of a variety of fruits and vegetables. They are chock full of vitamins and minerals.
• Fats: Several added servings are also important. Healthier fats include canola oil, olive oil, and other vegetable oils and peanut butter. (If you have a family history of food allergies, stay away from nuts!)

The main thing to remember is to eat a variety of foods. You are introducing your little one to food in general, so make it interesting. Don’t just eat the same stuff all the time. Remember to drink LOTS of water. Try to drink 8 to 12 glasses daily. The more water you drink, the better your milk will flow as well. You are doing a wonderful thing for your baby by breastfeeding, so make it worth it to it’s fullest!