Healthy Lifestyle | National Institute on Aging

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As you grow older, if you continue eating the same types and amounts of food but do not become more active, you will probably gain weight. That's because your metabolism (how your body gets energy from food) slows with age. Your body uses less energy, and that means it needs less food to make the energy it needs. The energy your body gets from the nutrients in the food you eat is measured as calories.

You may have heard the phrase "calories in, calories out" or maybe "energy in, energy out." It's trueas a rule of thumb, the more calories you eat, the more active you have to be. Likewise, the reverse is also true--the more active you are, the more calories you need. If you eat more calories than your body uses, you could gain weight. As you age, your body might need less food for energy, but it still needs the same amount of the nutrients we just described. What should you do?

What's On Your Plate? is based on the nutrition recommendations for older adults in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2010 from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

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Healthy Lifestyle | National Institute on Aging

How to stay emotionally healthy during quarantine – Times of India

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When we talk about self-isolation and quarantine, we assume that a home is a safe place, however, for a lot of people who are struggling with mental health issues, it becomes difficult to sustain. People often call me and ask why they are feeling emotionally imbalanced even when everything is going good around them- their work, family, friends - yet they are not happy, which is making the home environment toxic. This experience has become very common nowadays. A lot of us are going through a similar situation, but we are not able to figure out the reason behind this. Now let me tell you something. It is totally fine to feel this. Trust me, it is!

Emotions are something which we tend to ignore and therefore they are not accepted universally. In the last 4 years, I have been working with people who have faced a lot of discrete emotional imbalances. They feel emotions are triggered and post which the situation just spirals out of their control.

Because of all these non-existential phenomena happening around, sometimes it leads to an understanding that we all are entitled to an emotion which denotes our personality at large. For example, when you are going through a lot of emotional outbursts, we generally tend to react differently with people around us. Some people become angry, some go into depression, others tend to express their emotions with tears and thats how people around us tag their personality.

This makes us believe that we are acquired within an emotional parameter, but the fact is that no such emotional parameter exist in our brain...so what really are emotions?

Can you ignore emotions? No, right?

Let me explain this to you technically - emotions are complex mechanisms that are uncontrollable hardwired brain reactions. Emotions are just vapours. This volatile substance is constructed by us, the environment we live in and the social situations we experience.

Recall your childhood and the school days. I am sure every one of us went through a different sort of feeling when results were to be announced? Remember those days, when in the classroom, the teacher used to declare our marks in the test, or when we used to get our answer sheets. Can you tell me what you felt then? It was a different kind of stomach pain caused by nervousness and anxiety of knowing your marks. Once you knew the result, it vanished in seconds suddenly, right?

In such situations, billions of brain cells work together, and you do not have control over volatile substances called emotions.

The fact is, emotions are eventually built with the experiences we go through and the situations we indulge in. Believe me or not, there is a core area near your stomach, which is the powerhouse of our emotions. The sudden stomach pain we experience is nothing but STRESS!! The emotion that resides in the core.

Why does this happen?Just like reflex action, our system also reacts to the external stimulus provided. The external stimulus is the kind of environment or the social situation we are prone to and because of this social conditioning, our core experiences an emotional trajectory which may be in the form of excitement, happiness, sadness, anger and many more. Once we develop the emotion because of our social experience, we tend to react or respond to this stimulus, eventually coming out in the form of actions like crying, laughing, fighting, lethargy, unstable moods, etc.

We as human beings are unable to recognize and acknowledge what is going inside us due to which emotions get built up to an extent that at some point it takes the shape of depression, anxiety or any other psychological issues. However, it isnt under our control how to respond to such emotional imbalance and so, we dont acknowledge the same.

This unconscious response predominantly depends on our experience in a similar situation or a similar situation that has been faced by someone near to us.

When we start thinking, how did I react in the past when this situation came, our brain starts working like crazy. Our neurons start firing trying to make meaning out of the emotion that we experienced. At that particular moment, our brain also starts evaluating lifetime experiences, building the probabilities and trying to figure out what you relate it to rather than what it actually is. Moreover, this whole process is happening within a blink of an eye.

Such a state is called experiential blindness, which leads to predictions of reactions; they make sense in a quick and abstract way.

HENCE, OUR REACTION TO THE WORLD IS NOT A MERE REACTION, IT IS A PREDICTION THAT WE CONSTRUCT USING OUR EXPERIENCES OF THE WORLD.

Now, let me give you a solution to this. Like we take care of our physical health, we should also take care of our mental health.

It is very important to acknowledge our emotions and regulate them to live a healthy lifestyle. We should be aware of social situations that act as a trigger for elevating emotions within us. Once we identify them and acknowledge them, we will be aware enough to manage our emotional arousal and henceforth our reactions to such a situation will be in our own hands. To put it simply, start identifying the situations that trigger such feelings, accept your reaction to such situations instead of ignoring and start dealing with them. Once you accept your behavioural change and your pattern of reaction in any sort of condition, you will be more open to yourself and know that this is how I will react, this will not only make you more condensed but also, youll become the boss of your reaction.

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How to stay emotionally healthy during quarantine - Times of India

Enhanced My Health Pays Member Rewards Program Helps Ambetter from PA Health & Wellness Members Take Charge of Their Health – PRNewswire

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CAMP HILL, Pa., Dec.13, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Consumers that enroll or renew their coverage in 2020 with Ambetterfrom PA Health & Wellness will have access to an enhanced member rewards program. My Health Paysis a year-round rewards program that motivates members to complete simple healthy activities, allowing them to earn up to $500 in rewards.

Through the My Health Pays program, Ambetter from PA Health & Wellness members can receive reward points when using their health insurance for activities such as scheduling a wellness exam with their primary care physician or receiving the flu vaccine. New this year, the enhanced My Health Pays program helps members set and reach health goals at their own pace by providing seasonal suggestions for activities and guidance to help members stay on track. It also serves as an educational program by providing resources and videos that help members identify and practice healthy lifestyles.

"At PA Health & Wellness, we recognize that health and wellness is a journey. We are committed to providing guidance and motivation to help our members achieve their own healthy lifestyle," said Justin Davis, CEO of PA Health & Wellness. "Through our enhanced My Health Pays program, we're dedicated to our members' health journey by working with them every step of the way to eat right, be more active, and make healthy decisions."

As Ambetter from PA Health & Wellness members earn rewards points, they can use those points to shop for items in the My Health Pays Rewards Online Store, or convert them into dollars to spend on healthcare-related expenses or other items such as:

The open enrollment period for the Health Insurance Marketplace runs from Nov. 1 through Dec. 15, 2019. To enroll in Ambetter from PA Health & Wellness or learn more about its health insurance offerings, please visit https://ambetter.pahealthwellness.com/.

About PA Health & Wellness PA Health & Wellness is a managed care plan that provides health insurance to the people of Pennsylvania. Established in 2017, PA Health & Wellness exists to improve the health of its members through focused, compassionate and coordinated care. PA Health & Wellness is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Centene Corporation, a diversified, multi-national healthcare enterprise. For more information, visit http://www.pahealthwellness.com.

SOURCE PA Health & Wellness

https://ambetter.pahealthwellness.com/

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Enhanced My Health Pays Member Rewards Program Helps Ambetter from PA Health & Wellness Members Take Charge of Their Health - PRNewswire

Keep your germs to yourself at the gym to stop the spread of all diseases, not just coronavirus – WBIR.com

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KNOXVILLE, Tenn. If you go to a gym that's anywhere but in your own garage, you've probably gotten an email from the staff about steps they're taking to keep things clean as coronavirus slowly starts to spread across the country.

You may also notice those steps are things that gym staff and you should already be doing every time you workout.

That's wash your hands, wipe down your equipment and maybe don't cough or sneeze on strangers anybody ever.

Those tips are being shared by lots of gyms, including YMCA of East Tennessee.

"After you get off your equipment, if you can go behind yourself and wipe down the equipment," said Bekah Grace, Executive Director of the Cansler Family YMCA in North Knoxville. "Yes we have staff that do that always, we definitely keep our equipment clean and healthy for our members, but every little bit helps."

RELATED: VERIFY: Fact-checking this week's viral coronavirus claims

It should be common practice for gym goers, but as the risk of coronavirus spreads gyms like the YMCA are taking this opportunity to remind their users to keep it clean.

"Wiping down machines and equipment, washing hands frequently, and then of course if you are exhibiting any signs and symptoms, fever, cold, anything like that just stay at home for right now," said Grace.

Grace said these requests are nothing new, and wiping equipment and washing hands can help prevent any virus from spreading, not just coronavirus.

RELATED: Facts not Fear: Knox County health expert answers your COVID-19 questions

"It's not like all of a sudden we feel this need to keep things clean," she said. "That's a common practice around here and always will be. It's nothing new and it's nothing we're gonna stop as soon as this passes."

Don't be afraid to go to the gym.

"We do think a workout and a healthy lifestyle helps boost your immune system so if you're feeling healthy we'd love to see you here at the Y to maintain that healthy immune system and keep everybody in our community healthy." said Grace.

RELATED: EPA issues list of disinfectants to use against coronavirus

Just keep your germs to yourself.

"We want to make sure that you're washing hands, wiping down equipment, but not necessarily panicking," said Grace.

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Keep your germs to yourself at the gym to stop the spread of all diseases, not just coronavirus - WBIR.com

California Figs Fit A Healthy Lifestyle | 09/05/17 | Markets Insider – Markets Insider

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FRESNO, Calif., Sept. 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --As consumer demand for healthy, convenient and tasty food choices increase, so too does the demand for California Figs. Though an Ancient fruit and beloved for centuries, figs are on the up rise as a go-to snack and ingredient.

Experience the interactive Multichannel News Release here: https://www.multivu.com/players/English/8157651-california-figs-valerie-waters-healthy-recipes/

"Figs fit a healthy lifestyle because they're portable, delicious and nutritious," says Valerie Waters, celebrity fitness trainer to stars like Jennifer Garner and Cindy Crawford throughout her career. "I encourage my clients to seek out good-for-you food that tastes great so when you see California Figs, buy them!"

California Figs are an excellent source of fiber, and figs contribute essential vitamins and minerals to your diet, including iron, calcium, potassium, magnesium, vitamin B6 and copper. Figs are also fat, sodium and cholesterol-free.

Figs Fit No Matter the SeasonCalifornia Fresh Figs are available May-December. A wonderful treat all on their own, fresh figs are also an amazing addition to freshen up salads, salsas and sauces for the grill. California Dried Figs are available year-round. Keep them in your pantry as a quick and easy snack or dice them up and add them to your favorite energy ball or bar recipe.

"Breakfast is still one of the most important meals of the day and adding figs provides a natural sweetness and guarantees you're getting those extra vitamins and nutrients to power you through your day," continues Waters. "California Fresh or Dried Figs are an awesome addition to smoothies, overnight oats, yogurt bowls or breakfast toasts."

When You Think Figs, Think CaliforniaCalifornia produces 98 percent of fresh figs and 100 percent of dried figs grown in the U.S. California's fig farmers adhere to the highest standards and dedicate special care to the fig orchards that have been passed down for generations ensuring California Fresh and Dried Figs are the best quality in the world.

"You can taste the difference and you're buying local so when you think figs, think California," concludes Waters.

For California Fig recipes and videos featuring Waters, visit http://www.CaliforniaFigs.com.

About the California Fig Advisory Board and the California Fresh Fig Growers AssociationThe California Fig Advisory Board and California Fresh Fig Growers Association promote awareness and the use of California-produced dried and fresh figs domestically and internationally. California Fig growers, processors and marketers fund the activities of the industry.

About Valerie WatersTwenty years' experience getting celebrities ready for important movie roles, events, magazine layouts and awards ceremonies has established Valerie Waters as the premier personal trainer in Los Angelesone who can produce the results, and fast. Featured in top publications ranging from Glamour, Vanity Fair and In Style to Fitness, Self and People, Waters is the first person called by Hollywood's elite when they need to either get in shape or stay that way. She also coaches women online through her programs and Red Carpet Ready Bootcamps where thousands of women have transformed their bodies. Waters is the author of Red Carpet Ready and creator of the hottest fitness tool, Valslide.

Media Contact:Kris Caputo916-849-9323 rel="nofollow">kris@kriscaputo.com

View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/california-figs-fit-a-healthy-lifestyle-300513116.html

SOURCE California Fig Advisory Board

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California Figs Fit A Healthy Lifestyle | 09/05/17 | Markets Insider - Markets Insider

HealthyLifestyle.org Gears Up for Vaccination & Antibiotics Conference in Canada – PRUnderground

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HealthyLifestyle.org is an innovative new health information portal that explores both sides of current medical debates so that readers can make wise decisions regarding their health. As part of their commitment to keep people informed, the Healthy Lifestyle team is preparing for the 37 th Vaccination, Immunization and Antibiotics Conference coming up this month in Vancouver, Canada.

HealthyLifestyle.org helps readers answer important questions about their health, such as which type of health insurance policy is right for me? Am I paying too much for health insurance? Should I have my child get the new HPV vaccine? And what alternative therapies are available for cancer treatment? Readers can count on the website for insights on even the most controversial issues, such as legal cannabis, the efficacy of essential oils, and the arguments for and against various health considerations.

The Healthy Lifestyle team looks to conventions around the world to get information on health-related topics. Dave Cutter, Healthy Lifestyle Co-Founder, said that the upcoming Vaccination, Immunization and Antibiotics conference will help his team deliver balanced insights on these hot-button issues.

There are a lot of questions right now about what medical solutions children should be exposed to, as well as the challenges surrounding superbugs and over-prescribing of antibiotics, said Cutter. Well be informing our readers based on the newest research coming out of this conference.

The conference will provide two days of keynote speakers, workshops, panel discussions, and exhibits. Topics will include the latest vaccine research, obstacles to vaccination, plant-based vaccines, and antibiotic resistance. Attendees will include physicians, scientists, researchers, and business leaders.

Cutter said that his team is eager to hear the latest scientific-based findings on these topics so that they can cut through the spin and fake news that accompany a lot of health-related headlines.

Our website tells it to people straight without an agenda or sensationalism, said Cutter. Staying informed equips us to present multiple points of view in the context of real-life scenarios, and we dont shy away from the taboo issues.

To learn more about Healthy Lifestyle and read about controversial and trending topics in health, visit http://www.HealthyLifestyle.org.

About Healthy Lifestyle

Healthy Lifestyle aims to provide relatable health articles, news, and stories. There is one life to live. It is the responsibility of society, as human beings, to take care of our health so we can live fully.

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HealthyLifestyle.org Gears Up for Vaccination & Antibiotics Conference in Canada - PRUnderground

What if Cancer is in the Cards? – Curetoday.com

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Living life means living with the risk of cancer. It is interesting to contemplate how the cards are dealt even as we try to outwit fate.

Felicia Mitchell is a poet and writer who makes her home in southwestern Virginia, where she teaches at Emory & Henry College. She was diagnosed with Stage 2b HER2-positive breast cancer in 2010. Website: http://www.feliciamitchell.net

Cancer can be capricious. Its mechanism involves nature and nurture, oncogenes and proto-oncogenes, fate and bad luck. Even without testing, we can learn some risk through family history. The thing about a risk, though, is that the genes may or may not follow through.

Of course, if cancer is likely, there are things we can do but sometimes the things we do are a way to trick ourselves into feeling that we are in control. Sometimes we are in control, as when a woman chooses to have a prophylactic mastectomy or oophorectomy. Sometimes we are not, even with the best of intentions.

Although two maternal great aunts died of complications of breast cancer, family history seemed distant to me at first. When my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer, I started to pay attention. At her urging, I got a screening mammogram at 35 and then routine mammograms after that. I also experimented with diet. I remember giving up dairy fat at 35 because I read somewhere that it is not good for cancer cells. Although I gave it up, I took it back up again. Now I try moderation.

When my brother was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma, though, I did not change my lifestyle. Shocked by this disease in a young man, I did not worry about my lymphocytes at all, even though having a first-degree relative with the disease is a risk factor (among others). Decades later, when 23andme shared a health profile, Hodgkin's Disease appeared in my list as a high-risk health challenge. Breast cancer risk, curiously, was set at average risk.

You never know what life will give you. When I saw Hodgkin's Disease in my DNA profile, I did not feel worried at all. I just felt greater empathy for my brother, who died of that disease at 21. After all, the two of us shared about 50% of our genes. In his case, something caused his cancer to activate. In my case, nothing did, or nothing has, even with a few co-factors, although I did end up with an aggressive breast cancer.

My brother did nothing wrong to get his cancer. I did nothing wrong to get breast cancer. All the two of us ever did was live our lives. Who knows how we would have turned out if at birth our parents had kept us in a glass bubble of a Garden of Eden, cut off from all toxins and carcinogens? I do know this: Cancer became just part of our journeys, individual and connected. It made us stronger.

Another thing 23andme told me is that the average weight for women with my genetic profile is about 40 pounds more than I weigh. That statistic has inspired me to contemplate the complex relationship between nature and nurture as much as all my experience with the cancer of family members does. I also know that eating a certain way affects the risk of diabetes, another family heirloom, as well as cancer.

When I chose a healthy lifestyle, I hoped this lifestyle wouldhelp me to avoid future cancer (or diabetes). Even if it does not, one thing I know is that I was thankful to be healthy (aside from cancer) when treatment began. It made surviving easier. Maybe it does not hurt to make choices to try to scare away the boogeyman of genes, even if the choices do not always help. I do admit that after my cancer diagnosis I exclaimed, among other things, "Now I can eat bacon!" That cynical thought passed. Life went on. Life goes on.

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What if Cancer is in the Cards? - Curetoday.com

Shout Out: Dasha Ignatova, co-founder of healthy lifestyle club at Buffalo Grove High School – Chicago Tribune

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Buffalo Grove High School student Dasha Ignatova and other founding members have been surprised by the rapid success of the school's healthy lifestyle club that they helped start one year ago.

Beginning in fall 2016, the Elevate club, a school chapter of the national Life of an Athlete program, started with eight founding members but by the spring, the group totaled 200 members, the students said. Earlier this summer, the Life of an Athlete organization awarded the Buffalo Grove High School group with its "Program of the Year" honor.

"It was a huge surprise," Ignatova said of the award. "We're just trying to encourage other kids that there are better options than partying. The realization for others is the most important part for us."

It would be easy to pigeonhole the Elevate group as an anti-drugs club, but some of the founding members have said the message goes beyond that. Life of an Athlete and its chapters also try to teach students about the importance of healthy diets and sleep.

As Ignatova, who is an incoming senior and student athlete from Arlington Heights, and other founding members described it, Elevate teaches its members to take care of their bodies as a means toward taking care of their teammates.

Ignatova recently talked with Pioneer Press about the Elevate chapter as she and other seniors prepare students to lead the group once some of the senior members graduate. She said she plans to study chemical engineering in college after her senior year at Buffalo Grove High School.

Q: How do you keep in touch with so many kids?

A: It was more of an honor system. We have a pledge and if you sign it, you're saying you will be honest to it and to the other people who signed it. We talked with three or four kids about problems they had.

Q: Chemical engineering sounds important and lucrative. What is it?

A: You can work with different pharmaceuticals. You can work for companies that create hair sprays or medicine, or different bottled products. I've always felt that medicine is something that can be improved on. Something that has less side effects, or is better for your body.

Q: A high school kid somewhere hears about Life of an Athlete and wants to start a chapter. How does that kid replicate Elevate's success?

A: It only takes one person to make a change. Once his teammates realize, "Wow, this kid is excelling. He's the strongest one out of us all," and he might not be the greatest athlete, "Maybe, I should do what he's doing." And I'd tell the kid, "You don't need to force other people to do this."

Shout Out is a weekly feature in which we introduce our readers to their fellow community members and local visitors throughout suburban Chicago.

RWachter@PioneerLocal.com

Twitter @RonnieAtPioneer

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Shout Out: Dasha Ignatova, co-founder of healthy lifestyle club at Buffalo Grove High School - Chicago Tribune

On the Record (Hector Gomez) – Bureau County Republican

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Where were you born? Mercedes, Texas

Where do you live now? Princeton

How long have you lived there? 12 years

Where do you work? Bureau County Health Department

What is your job title? Fiscal director/assistant administrator

How long have you worked there? 11 years, since May 6, 2006

What advantages are there to your position at the health department?

Working a normal schedule 8-5 Monday to Friday, military friendly employer, and great benefits.

What challenges do you see with your job at the health department? Having to deal with the incompetence of the state of Illinois to pass a balance budget!

How have the finances with the state of Illinois impacted our local health department? We have managed to continue doing the things we do here by being fiscally responsible.

In general, do you think Bureau County residents are healthier or not as healthy as residents from other parts of the state? I believe that we are a healthy county but can still do more to make our residents maintain a healthy lifestyle.

What is the best way parents/grandparents can teach their children/grandchildren good health practices? Start before your children are born by eating right and not smoking and drinking alcohol. Once children are born, continue to introduce good eating habits throughout their life, so they can pass it on to their children.

What do you think is the most significant health problem in Bureau County for adults? Inactivity, which can lead to obesity and other health problems.

What do you think is the most significant health problem in Bureau County for seniors? Isolation and lack of social interaction.

What do you think is the most significant health problem in Bureau County for teens/children? For most is the lack of exercise from all the electronics available to them and isolation from the virtual world.

Has working at the health department affected how you think of your own health? What lifestyle changes have you made for a healthier lifestyle? Working at the health department has not affected the way I think about my health. I spent 27 years in the military and have always maintained a healthy lifestyle.

In the perfect world, the local health department ______ (fill in the blank): Would be the place to go for health related information relating to the public and the place to receive all vaccinations required for school age children. Also all vaccines required by adults to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

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On the Record (Hector Gomez) - Bureau County Republican

107 Healthy Habits And Behaviors For A Healthier Lifestyle …

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Most people think that living a healthy lifestyle is a challenge.

When you look at the super fit and healthy people out there, it can seem almost impossible to get what they have. Six pack abs and a 100-year lifespan appear out of reach to normal" individuals.

But achieving those levels of health and fitness is really just about engaging in healthy behaviors on a routine basis.

Each of the habits in this post may seem small by itself, but over time they can have a snowball effect on your health.

The trick is to focus on making the healthy choice in any given moment, rather than looking at all the things you must do in the long term.

With that in mind, here is a list of habits and behaviors you can adopt that will add up to a healthy lifestyle. Where applicable, Ive linked to external tools and resources to help you get the most out of each entry. Oh, and this post is seriously long (over 16,000 words), so youll want to bookmark it for future reference. Perhaps on StumbleUpon, wink wink.

If you know of any resources that would make this guide more complete, shoot me an email.

Update: There are a ton of links on this post, and for one reason or another, many of them will become broken. Sometimes, they will become broken for a day or two and then the page will come back up again. Other times the site just goes away. Unfortunately, I dont have enough time to make sure all the links are always working or to find more resources to replace old ones. I sincerely apologize. But again, if you know of other resources to include, let me know.

Diet is often the most hated part of being healthy. Most people look at a diet as a temporary thing. After three months on some diet", you can return to the way you used to eat.

I challenge you to think of your diet as a lifestyle of healthy eating rather than a horrible ordeal you must go through for a period of time, only to return to fast food burgers and french fries. You will be far more successful that way.

1. Make dietary changes slowly.

If you try to change everything at once, you will have difficulty adjusting to the new lifestyle. When you eat new foods or in different proportions, it takes time for your digestive system to get used to it, if ya know what I mean.

A healthier diet starts even before any food enters your mouth. There are many new habits you can adopt that will make healthy eating easierfor example, heaving healthy food in your kitchen at home.

You need to buy your food before you eat it, right?

2. Plan healthy meals in advance.

Come up with a meal plan for your week, so you know exactly what to buy at the grocery store and you are more accountable to yourself (and less likely to eat out and unhealthy restaurants). Here is a template that you can use, but if you eat more than three meals a day you will need to adjust.

Its a good idea to know how many calories you are supposed to be consuming per day based on your goals and your lifestyle. Use this calculator to get an idea of this number. Everyone has different caloric needs and the formula is not 100% accurate, so dont be too concerned with matching this number exactly. Its just a good approximation for planning purposes.

You can write a plan down and post it to your refrigerator, but there are also plenty of free or paid online tools that can help in the process. First, lets look at the free ones:

If you want some added functionality, there are many paid services that are still quite affordable:

If you want to be very thorough with tracking what you eat, you should skip down to #36 for more information and tools that will make being accountable and sticking to your meal plan even easier.

3. Shop with a list based on your weekly meal plan.

Once you begin planning your meals in advance, food shopping becomes much easier. Make a list of ingredients you need in order to cook your meals, and only buy those items.

Old fashioned pen and paper lists work great, but there are free tools that deserves special mention here:

4. Go food shopping on a full stomach.

When you are hungry, you are inclined to buy far more food than you need, and you will likely buy unhealthy foods that you crave.

5. Spend most of your shopping time along the perimeter of the grocery store.

This is where the produce and healthier foods tend to be located. Dont just wander through the aisles aimlessly. Only venture inward if you need something specific and you know where it is.

6. Stop buying foods that are marketed as healthy.

Chances are, they are not. And if it says all natural, that doesnt mean its healthy either. You should spend time educating yourself about what makes a food healthy or not so you can spot the rampant BS in food advertising and packaging. In the meantime, a fantastic rule of thumb is to

7. Only buy real foods.

In other words, purchase foods that come directly from nature and are minimally processed. This includes plants, fruits, meats, nuts, etc. It excludes things like refined grains and sweeteners, or foods that have ingredients that you cant pronounce. Real foods are as close to their natural state as possible.

8. Buy wild caught fish, grass-fed meats, and free range eggs instead of their grain-fed counterparts.

Grain is not a part of these animals natural diets, and causes the animals themselves to be unhealthy. Not only that, but most of these animals will be given growth hormones and other chemicals to develop faster. This unhealthiness gets passed on to you when you eat them. Sadly, finding animal products that are fed a proper diet is both more expensive and more challenging. The following sites can help you find grass-fed meat near you:

If you cant find producers in your area, you can buy these products online. Because it is more expensive, feel free to only partly switch over to these healthier animal products. Even just one or two meals per week will provide you with substantially more nutrition value.

9. Buy more organic foods.

Normal produce is sprayed with pesticides and other chemicals that are harmful to eat. Organic foods are certainly more expensive than non-organic, but luckily not everything you eat needs to be organic. The research on whether organic foods are more nutritious or not is mixed, but if you can afford it, it certainly wont hurt. The Environmental Working Group publishes a list of the most important foods to buy organic each year, as well as foods with the fewest pesticides. And if you are really curious, here is a tool that lets you see how many and what pesticides are found in different foods. I cant decide if its really creepy or really cool .

Staying hydrated is one of the most important things you can do for your health, but it is under appreciated.

There are a few things you can do to make the most of this area, most of which are pretty easy.

10. Drink a minimum of eight cups of water every day.

Some people say you dont need to drink this much to stay hydrated, but it certainly doesnt hurt. You wont get water poisoning unless you drink a lot of water in a short period of time. The Institute for Medicine recommends that men drink about 13 cups of fluids and women drink 9 cups of fluids per day. This includes all fluids (including a substantial amount from food), but water is of course the best. If it is particularly hot and humid or
if you exercise (and you should), you need to drink more. Ive drank up to a gallon of water per day and I felt great doing it.

Try to keep water on hand at all times and sip it throughout the day. As a good rule of thumb, if you are drinking enough so that you never feel thirsty and your pee is clear or very light yellow, you are hydrated. Here is an online calculator that will tell you how many ounces of water you should drink today based on a number of factors.

11. Drink green tea.

Ive already written extensively (and I mean extensively) about the health benefits of green tea, so I wont repeat the reasons here. It is one of the most powerfully healthy things you can add to your lifestyle, plus its delicious. If you are extra sensitive to caffeine, are deficient in iron, have ulcers, or are taking certain medications, you shouldnt drink green tea.

12. Dont add cream or sugar to your tea and coffee.

That includes artificial sweeteners too. If you like your caffeinated beverages, drink them straight. Youll grow to appreciate the taste and its healthier for you.

13. Stop drinking soda.

Seriously. Soda is one of the worst things you can put in your body. They contain lots of calories from high fructose corn syrup, which is killing you. And dont drink diet soda either. The artificial sweeteners can be toxic, and they stimulate your appetite.

The way you prepare your meals is obviously a huge determinant of your health. By following some of these simple guidelines, you can have much healthier but still delicious meals all the time.

14. Cook meals in advance.

So many people resort to eating fast food or unhealthy snacks because they dont have the time to cook. This problem can be addressed very easily by cooking several portions at once. Especially if you have a weekly meal plan (but even if you dont), you can spend a little extra time on your Sunday afternoon cooking meals for the rest of the week. Then when you are hungry you just need to reheat them. BOOM! Problem solved.

If you failed to prepare your meals in advance and you find yourself stuck with a bunch of random ingredients, Supercook allows you to find recipes by typing in the ingredients you do have one at a time. This will help you improvise with whatever you have on hand instead of going out to a restaurant.

15. Eat at restaurants less frequently.

This is easier if you cook meals in advance, and it will save you a lot of money. You have no idea what they are putting in your food. Because most restaurants want to make the most tasty dish for the lowest cost, you can bet that there are all sorts of unhealthy things in your meal including food additives, unhealthy cooking oils, and loads of extra salt. Plus your own kitchen is probably cleaner.

If you do go out to eat, most restaurants will allow you to substitute a side of vegetables for the fries they would normally give you.

16. Dont add salt to your meals.

If you are already eating mostly real, whole foods, this isnt such a big deal. But until then, you should know that most packaged food already contains heinous amounts of sodium. According to the CDC, the average American consumes more than double the Adequate Intake of sodium (3436 mg vs. 1500 mg), and significantly more than the Tolerable Upper Intake Level (2300 mg). This raises blood pressure and could lead to heart disease and stroke.

17. Use healthier oils.

When cooking, you should look for oils that have a high smoke point, such as coconut and avocado oil. In general, saturated fats are the most stable under heat, so you should cook with those (I know, this goes against much of what you may have heard). Dont use heavily processed vegetable oils such as canola, safflower, soybean, grapeseed, and so on. Extra virgin olive oil is an incredibly healthy choice for adding to foods and for low temperature cooking. Dont use olive oil for high temperature cooking because it will oxidize and become very unhealthy.

18. Replace salad dressings with extra virgin olive oil or squeezed lemon or lime juice.

Most salad dressings are very high in calories, often from refined vegetable oils and sugars. Pretty much defeats the purpose of a salad, right? If you are opting for low calorie, use lemon or lime juice for some extra flavor. The best choice though is a small amount of extra virgin olive oil, because it drastically increases the absorption of the many fat-soluble nutrients in your salad.

19. Add a serving of vegetables to each meal.

Veggies are your best friend. They tend to be among the most nutrient dense of foods, meaning they have the most nutrition value per calorie. They fill you up faster and supply your body with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. What more could you want? Try to get a variety of veggies in your diet, and make sure to include leafy greens like spinach as well as cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli.

20. Have a balanced mix of carbohydrates, fats, and protein in each meal.

Many diets will demonize one of these macronutrients, but you need at least some of each. If you are eating real foods, the ratio probably doesnt matter as much. That being said, try to have one source of each macronutrient in every meal.

Carbs are the least important to focus on because they are the most common in many peoples diets. The other two are more likely to be neglected. Everyone is different, but Ive personally had great results with consuming about 40% of my calories from fat. That is more than youve probably heard, but results are results. If you hate doing math, you can use this calculator to find out how many grams of each macronutrient you should be consuming at each meal. If you are specifically trying to build muscle or burn fat, you may need to adjust your ratios according to your goal.

21. Eat your sandwiches open-faced.

You generally dont want to eat too much bread (or too many calories), and two slices per sandwich can really add up. Instead, focus on what is inside the sandwich, focusing on the protein and veggies.

22. Use mustard instead of mayo, BBQ sauce, or ketchup on your sandwiches.

Mayo contains deadly trans fats, and BBQ sauce and ketchup are loaded with high fructose corn syrup. Mustard, on the other hand, contains cancer-inhibiting phytonutrients and is a good source of several minerals and omega-3 fatty acids.

23. Substitute quinoa or whole wheat products for white carbohydrates.

White carbohydrates are those made from white flour or sugar. Food labels are VERY tricky here, so be careful. Unless the first ingredient on the label says whole wheat flour or 100% whole wheat flour, its a white carb. If it just says wheat flour, it is a white carb. Youll also want to avoid added sugars, which you can find a list of here. Honestly though, quinoa is delicious, extremely healthy, and easy to cook, so you should consider making that your primary source of carbs.

24. Add probiotics to your diet.

Probiotics are live microorganisms that reside in your gut and benefit the host, aka you. These organisms may improve digestion and help fight off the bad bacteria, improving immune function. Not only that, there is evidence that (at least in mice, but likely humans too) that probiotics play a role in relieving anxiety and depression (source)! Yogurt (make sure it isnt pasteurized) is probably the most convenient dietary source, but any fermented food contains probiotics. Kefir, sauerkraut, miso soup, pickles, tempeh, and kimchi are also good
sources.

25. Eat more omega-3 fatty acids.

This one is so so so so so important for both your health and your happiness. If you are interested in more details on why omega-3s are so important, check out that link. Some of the best sources include fatty fish such as salmon and sardines (wild caught, not farmed) as well as flax seeds and walnuts. Nosh on walnuts as a healthy snack and eat fatty fish at least twice per week.

26. Eat more spicy foods.

Hot peppers contain capsaicin, and the hotter the pepper, the more capsaicin it contains. This substance has numerous health benefits, such as fighting cancer, reducing inflammation, pain relief, congestion relief, improved intestinal health, cardio-protection, and increased fat burning. The Scoville scale is a measure of the quantity of capsaicin in a pepper, and you can use it to find the best sources. Jalapenos are good, but if you have the cojones for it you should try habanero peppers. That stuff is intense. By the way, you build up a tolerance to spicy food over time, so if you dont like it now, try adding small amounts until you feel comfortable with it.

27. Season your food with healthy spices.

Besides adding flavor to your meals, some spices are among the most nutrient dense substances known to man. Of special mention are cinnamon, turmeric, and ginger. Cinnamon helps control blood sugar, and has been shown to reduce it by 20-30%. Turmeric is a potent anti-inflammatory and anti-carcinogenic. Ginger has many antioxidants and is a strong anti-inflammatory, but is most known for its soothing effects on your stomach. Mike Geary wrote a great article about 10 of the healthiest spices, and I highly suggest you read it.

28. Stop frying your foods, and use healthier cooking methods.

The high temperatures of frying causes starches to form advanced glycation end products, or AGEs, which are incredibly toxic and linked to both cancer and diabetes. Fried foods absorb a lot of fat in the cooking process (often unhealthy fats, depending on the cooking oil), and fried vegetables lose a lot of their nutrition value. Here are some resources on healthier ways of cooking:

29. Soak meat in a special marinade before grilling.

We all love barbecue, but grilling meat leads to a buildup of heterocyclic amines, benzopyrene, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. What the hell are those!, you ask? They are all highly carcinogenic chemicals that you dont want to consume.

Luckily, you can prevent the formation of a lot of these carcinogens. Soaking meat in a marinade of alcohol (from wine or beer) and herbs (including rosemary, thyme, garlic, ginger, and chili pepper) for four hours decreased the formation of these substances by up to 90% (Source 1, Source 2, Source 3). A marinade including both alcohol and herbs will be most effective, but including just one or the other will still have a strong effect.

30. Start your day with a healthy breakfast.

By eating a healthy breakfast, you set a positive tone for the day by having made a good health decision right away. You wouldnt want to spoil that by eating junk food the rest of the day, would you? Secondly, this will give you more energy for whatever you need to do later. Good deal overall.

A lot of people will screw up a day of healthy eating by scarfing down a pint of ice cream or a few donuts. Other people will think they ate healthy all day, but forget about the random small bits of junk food they ate between meals.

With a little bit of preparation, you can eat healthy while still satisfying your sweet tooth.

31. Replace the unhealthy snacks in your house with nuts, fruits, and veggies.

Wherever you go, keep a baggy full of dried fruit and nuts with you so you arent tempted to go to the vending machine. Chances are you like at least some of these healthy snacks, so just pick whatever your favorites are and keep them well stocked.

32. Replace your night time dessert with a piece of fresh fruit.

An apple is still sweet, and is a much better choice than ice cream. I know, this tip isnt rocket science, but a lot of people forget that there are healthy options just as delicious as a bag of chips.

33. Learn to love dark chocolate as your primary indulgence food.

Dark chocolate is one of my favorite things in the universe. Almost everyone has heard that dark chocolate is healthier than milk chocolate by now. Aim for the highest percentage cacao as you can tolerate, and it should be at least 70% to get the health benefits. The bitterness of dark chocolate is an acquired taste. My brother used to dislike dark chocolate but recently he has built up a tolerance and now enjoys it!

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107 Healthy Habits And Behaviors For A Healthier Lifestyle ...

Families need to be involved in healthy lifestyle for pre-schoolers – The Straits Times

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The decision by the ministries of Health (MOH) and Education (MOE) to start physical activities and healthy eating in pre-schools is a brilliant move to curb the rising obesity trend of Singapore children (Improving kids' health: More exercise, better diet; Feb 24).

The children are at the best age to internalise what is taught.

But adults, especially teachers, have to set a good example by exercising and eating healthily, and explaining the rationale for their actions.

It is also important that the MOE be creative in the way it teaches these children the basic principles of healthy living, including the right types of food to eat.

However, the role that families play should not be forgotten (Help parents become good examples of healthy living by Dr Teoh Ren Shang; Feb 27).

All this education will be wasted if the families of these children break all the rules.

This healthier lifestyle has to be a culture in their families as well.

Only then will there be real results from the work put in by the MOH and MOE.

Leow Wen Hao

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Green Park | sponsoring Healthy Lifestyle Award at Pride of Reading Awards 201 – Video

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Green Park | sponsoring Healthy Lifestyle Award at Pride of Reading Awards 201
An interview, given by the Green Park Conference Manager, Amy Burbage on the importance of supporting the Pride of Reading Awards for the 11th year and speci...

By: Green Park | Reading

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Green Park | sponsoring Healthy Lifestyle Award at Pride of Reading Awards 201 - Video

Nestle Ghana engages journalists in safe and healthy lifestyle … – Ghana News Agency

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By Christabel Addo - GNA

Accra, June 23, GNA - Nestle Ghana, has recapped its success stories and the commitment of the Company to maintaining its production of high quality products to meet the safety and nutritional standards of consumers.

It said it would never compromise on its quality assurance or lower standards at any stage of the production chain, but rather pursue vigorous objectives and strategies aimed at addressing the nutritional needs, and also encourage healthy lifestyle of populations of all ages through education and the production of diverse products with high nutritional contents.

Ms Freda Y. Duplan, the Managing Director of Nestle Ghana, reiterated these commitment at a media workshop on the Importance of a Safe and Healthy Lifestyle, in Accra, which was aimed at enhancing the capacity of the media as stakeholders in the public campaign and education on national wellness through quality nutritional practices, for sustainable development.

She said good nutrition was an important baseline factor to the attainment of a healthy population, which then translated into achievable national goals and development at all levels.

This, she said, was the main reason why Nestle Ghana, had over the past 60 years, maintained its commitment to producing products of high nutritional values and kept enhancing their qualities over the period.

We have made a commitment to ensure a healthy lifestyle of about 50 million Ghanaian children by 2020, and further impact on the lives of over 30 million people living in the various communities across the regions where were have been working on life changing projects, she said.

Ms Duplan said the safety and quality of the Nestle Ghana products were non-negotiable, and recounted how the companys products which ranged from dairy and non-dairy products as well as the confectionaries, had provided a nutritional balance for consumers, and new products remained under research and were hoped to add on to existing ones on the market.

She urged the media as stakeholders, to partner with Nestle to intensify public education on proper nutrition and healthy living and help the company in making informed choices and decisions that would lead to the achievement of major outcomes in under the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Ms Maria Lovelace-Johnson, the Head of the Food Safety Management Department of the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA), commended Nestle Ghana for maintaining an uncompromising position in its production standards over the years.

The FDA, she said had closely followed the companys activities and provided basic services in the areas of ensuring compliance to the divers legislation governing the industry, and attested to the high level of integrity and commitment to food safety, quality assurance and maintenance of high production standards and specifications.

She however said with the advent of climate change and its adverse effect, food security was being threatened and impacting negatively on areas including the agricultural, environmental and socio-economical performances.

This has in effect led to a wide range of nutritional challenges including stunting, anemia, diabetes and low birth weights, however consumers were currently becoming increasingly knowledgeable, with the expanded technology, and were now demanding for quality products to meet their nutritional needs.

Ms Lovelace-Johnson said involving the media was very crucial not only for expanded public educational campaigns maintaining on quality and healthy lifestyles, but also to support the work of the FDA in the enforcement of key legislations on food safety and to expose offenders of the law for appropriate sanctions.

She admitted that enforcement of legislations had been very challenging for the FDA owing to the fragmentation of regulations and guidelines, and advocated the harmonisation of these laws into a single national food policy, for more effective monitoring and enforcement.

She called on stakeholders saying food safety is a shared responsibility, so for the FDA to achieve its mandate of ensuring food safety, security, quality as well as a well regulated food industry, Ghana would achieve the SDGs by the stipulated date.

GNA

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Nestle Ghana engages journalists in safe and healthy lifestyle ... - Ghana News Agency