Category: Wellness (Page 28 of 116)

The Many Wonders Of Tea

April 21, 2012 / Staff

Everyday there is something new to love about tea.

With varieties such as, black, green white and oolong, there is a tea for everyone who wants to enjoy the health benefits of this plant.

A study done by UCLA, found that drinking three cups (or more) of either green or black tea a day can reduce your risk of stroke by 21 percent. The health benefits associated with tea come from its high levels of antioxidants such as polyphenols, flavonoids and catechins, which fight free radicals in the body and prevent healthy cells from being harmed. Other studies have found that drinking a couple cups of tea a day may also help lower cholesterol and protect against certain cancers.

The ritual of drinking tea is also a great way to break bad eating habits.

Making time to have tea instead of sweetened beverages or colas can help you to shed pounds as an added bonus.

Nutrition, Research, Wellness

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Ward Off Alzheimer’s With Housework?

April 21, 2012 / Staff

Studies find that even mild activity is better than no activity when it comes to preventing Alzheimer’s.

For those whom may be too frail for swimming or gym activities it appears as though light housework and gardening can be effective ways to keep active and avoid the disease.

The study, which was published this week in the journal Neurology, included 716 dementia-free men and women in their 70s and 80s. Compared with the most active people, those with the lowest levels of overall physical activity had more than double the risk of going on to develop Alzheimer’s. Greater physical activity was also associated with a slower rate of aging-related memory and cognitive decline.
“This suggests that people in their 80s who can’t participate in formal exercise still get a benefit by leading a more active lifestyle,” says lead author Dr. Aron S. Buchman, associate professor of neurological sciences at Rush University Medical Center, in Chicago. “You don’t have to get a membership in the local YMCA. If you walk up some more steps, stand up and do the dishes more, you stand to benefit because it’s incremental and adds up over the course of a full day.”

The key is to keep moving!

Research, Wellness

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A Little Exercise Makes It Easier To Quit Smoking

April 21, 2012 / Staff

A recent study shows that even the smallest amount of regular exercise can help smokers kick the habit.

“Our message is to quit and exercise — to do both is the best,” says Chi Pang Wen, a professor at the National Health Research Institute and China Medical University Hospital in Taiwan, who presented the data at the World Congress of Cardiology meeting in Dubai.
“Trying to quit is a painful process,” Wen told Shots by phone from Dubai. “That painful process creates a vacuum. This substitute, which is exercise, will distract the smokers from thinking every day about the need to smoke.”

Even for smokers who can’t quit, walking just 15 minutes a day six days a week is enough to improve their health.

Research, Wellness

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Is It Necessary To Wash Pre-Washed Greens?

April 20, 2012 / Staff

The debate roils; wash or don’t wash pre-washed lettuce?

You know the stuff; pre-washed, pre-cut, bagged up and ready to use.

Is it necessary to wash it yet again for safe eating?

Indeed, many (though not all) food safety specialists advise against washing bagged lettuce or spinach. Why? First, because there’s a good chance that if bacteria managed to survive commercial-scale washing with chlorinated water in the processing plant, a lot of them will survive your home washing, too.
Disease-causing E. coli O157:H7 can get trapped just below the surface of a lettuce leaf, and they’re tough to dislodge or kill. Second, there’s a real risk that you’ll end up adding bacteria to greens that were perfectly clean to start with: Your sink or cutting board may be dirtier than the lettuce.

It looks like the only way to truly insure that you are eating the safest lettuce possible would be to cook it!

Nutrition, Quality Control, Wellness

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