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• New Years Resolutions
• quit smoking
• cut out the salt
• wear sunscreen
• antioxidants
• new years
• fit and healthy
• get healthy
• 2014
• portion control
• be active

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Written by Lisa Jillanza

Everyone wants to be healthy and the start of a new year is always a good time to start fresh.  If you are looking for some ideas on how to get healthy in 2014, here are some suggestions.

Portion Control : The best way to start downsizing your body is by downsizing your plate, and the contents on your plate.  Studies show that if you use a smaller plate or bowl that it will promote weight loss because you are not overeating at any one meal. Be Active : One common bond between people that are healthy and trim is that they are all active and remain active throughout the year.  If you shoot to add at least 30 minutes of some sort of exercise into your day, each and every day, you will begin to notice significant changes over time.  Stick with it even on the days where you lack the energy because exercising always helps to boost your energy. Cut the Salt Out : According to studies, the average American eats close to twice the recommended daily allowance of sodium in their day.  Besides making your feel and look bloated, sodium also can significantly raise your blood pressure.  Processed meats contain some of the highest amounts of salt of any food so it is extremely important for you to read labels and be a conscious shopper when it comes to sodium.  People that cut the salt out of their diet have been shown to have a decreased risk of heart disease, lower blood pressure and better weight management. Increase Antioxidants : When your body processes food it releases free radicals,. as does cigarette smoking and radiation.  As time goes by, damage from free radicals can cause cancer, infection, heart disease and inflammation.  That's why you should increase your antioxidants.  You can defend your body from the harmful effects of free radicals by eating a diet rich in antioxidants.  Antioxidants can be found in pomegranates, chocolate and coffee. Quit Smoking : Although it nearly goes without saying, if you are a smoker you really should try to make a resolution to quit smoking.  The pros definitely outweigh the cons ten times over, so make 2014 the year that you put the “butt” out for good! Wear Sunscreen Year Round : According to the National Cancer Institute, most skin cancers do not begin to develop until after the age of 50, but sun damage starts at a much earlier age.  Sun exposure can also make wrinkles appear before their time.  You should resolve to wear sunscreen year round because you can still be exposed to the sun's harmful rays even in the winter.

• common cold
• flu
• wives tales
• chicken soup
• wet hair
• feed a cold
• starve a fever
• wearing a coat
• Vicks Vapor rub

Details

Written by Lisa Jillanza

Sure we have all heard the common wives tales about the common cold, feed a cold and starve a fever, and so on and so forth.  But what tales are indeed true and which ones are myths?  Here we touch on a few of those true tales and debunk some others.

Chicken Soup:  So grandma always said that chicken soup is good to fight the common cold and she was half right, chicken soup has been shown to relieve inflammation. Wet hair: Going outside with wet hair will not cause the common cold, but that doesn't mean that you should do it either. Feed a cold, starve a fever:  This is the one that you often hear people recite when they are sick.  But being sick often kills your appetite and force feeding certainly won't help things.  What you should do instead is remain hydrated and get enough calories. Wearing a coat: Common colds and the flu are caused by viruses not by temperature. And while they do circulate more during the winter months, you are more likely to pick up a cold or the flu inside more so than outside so wearing a coat or not wearing a coat does not indicate whether or not you will catch a cold.  Studies show that you can actually prevent some colds by getting physical exercise outdoors during the winter months. Vicks Vapor Rub on Your Feet:  A widely spread email last year stated that you should put Vicks Vapor Rub on your kids feet and put socks on them to get rid of a nagging cough.  This myth was debunked and experts suggest that you should stick to using the vapor rub on your kid's chest and throat instead.

• breast cancer awareness
• symptoms
• breast cancer awareness month
• prevention
• signs
• October
• breast cancer facts
• causes
• risks

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Written by Lisa Jillanza

This month we look at some common issues that surround the talks about breast cancer : including the risks, prevention, signs and symptoms of breast cancer.

Cancer is the most feared disease in the world and the worst feared word in the English language, and rightfully so.  Every day we hear stories of cancer : both of people who have lost their battle, people who are battling or people who have survived. October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and because it is one of the most common cancers in the United States we offer these facts, symptoms, signs, possible causes and ways that you can decrease your risk of having breast cancer. BREAST CANCER FACTS:

• One in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime.
• Breast cancer is the second leading cause of death among women.
• Each year it is estimated that more than 220,00 women in the United States will be

diagnosed with breast cancer and more than 40,000 will die BREAST CANCER SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS:

• A lump in the breast or thickening that feels different than regular tissue.
• Discharge from the nipple.
• Change in size or shape of your breast.
• Changes to the skin of the breast, including dimpling.
• Redness of the skin of the breast.

CAUSES: While there is no clear answer to what causes breast cancer, researchers have identified things that can increase your risk of breast cancer. RISKS:

• Being female.
• Increasing age.
• A personal history of breast cancer.
• A family history of breast cancer.
• Inherited genes that cause breast cancer.
• Radiation exposure.
• Obesity.
• Beginning your period at a young age.
• Beginning menopause at an older age.
• Drinking alcohol.
• Having children later in life or not at all.

PREVENTION:

• Talk to your doctor about breast cancer screening.
• Conduct breast self-exams.
• Drink alcohol in moderation.
• Exercise.
• Maintain a healthy weight.
• Limit your use of postmenopausal hormone therapy.

• high calorie diet
• overconsumption
• junk food addiction
• overindulge

Details

Written by Lisa Jillanza

According to a recent study published in the journal “Nature Neuroscience,” a high-calorie diet, including junk food, may be as addictive as drugs like nicotine or even cocaine. The study, conducted on rats, shows that overconsumption of high-calorie foods can trigger addiction-like responses in the brain, thereby turning the rats into compulsive eaters.

Decreased levels of a specific dopamine receptor : a brain chemical that allows a feeling of reward : have been found in these overweight rats, as they are found in humans with drug addictions. The research was conducted in conjunction with the announcement that obesity-related diseases cost the U.S. and estimated $150 billion each year and an estimated two-thirds of American adults and one-third of children are obese or overweight.

Researchers say that eating snack foods are okay to eat from time to time; it's when we repeatedly overindulge that the problems begin.

• sugar
• dentist
• popular foods
• grams sugar

Details

Written by Lisa Jillanza

On average this year Americans will eat more than 140 pounds of sugar. Hard to believe? Not really when you start looking at the sugar content in some of these popular foods and drink that your dentist won't eat, and will advise you to do the same!

• Delmonte Peach Chunks : 23 grams sugar

• Manchu Wok Honey Garlic Chicken with fried rice : 34 grams sugar

• Auntie Anne's Cinnamon Sugar Pretzel with sweet dip : 61 grams sugar

• Dunkin Donuts Apple Crumb Donut with a Small coffee (cream and sugar) : 66 grams sugar

• Starbucks Strawberries and Creme Frappuccino Blended Crème (Grande with 2%  milk and whipped cream) : 71 grams sugar

• Baskin Robbins Oreo Layered Sundae : 146 grams sugar (Yes, you read that right! 146 grams sugar!)