Health Tips Archive 1209

Liz's Weekly Health Tips
December 2009

12/27/09
A Toast to Your Health!
Besides being festive, Champagne has a healthy side too.

At 85 calories for a 4 ounce glass, bubbly is chocked with polyphenols, a powerful antioxidant. Happy New Year!

12/20/09
A Long Winter’s Nap
Skip the cookies but keep the hormone-free milk for a warm soothing bedtime treat. Calcium and magnesium, both key ingredients in milk, have a calming effect and promote a more restful sleep, according to researchers at the US Department of Agriculture. Milk not your thing? Shoot for at least 400 milligrams of magnesium and 1,000 milligrams of calcium a day for a calmer disposition and good nights sleep.

Lucky for Santa sugar trumps milk ‘till our stockings are stuffed!

12/13/09
Cancer From the Kitchen? The Good News and the Bad News on Plastic, was an article from last Sunday’s New York Times that was both disturbing as well as enlightening as to the steps we can take to protect our health from environmental toxins surrounding us every day. Click on the link below for the full article. I have included edited excerpts below.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/06/opinion/06kristof.html

What if breast cancer in the United States has less to do with insurance or mammograms and more to do with contaminants in certain plastic containers in our kitchens? What if the surge in asthma and childhood leukemia reflects, in part, the poisons we impose upon ourselves? Dr. Philip Landrigan, the chairman of the department of preventive medicine at Mount Sinai, said that the risk that a 50-year-old white woman will develop breast cancer has soared to 12% today, from 1% in 1975. Likewise, asthma rates have tripled over the last 25 years. Childhood leukemia is increasing by 1% per year. Some chemicals may even play a role in obesity.

One class of chemical is believed to create “endocrine disruptors,” which are similar to estrogen and may fool the body into setting off hormonal changes. These endocrine disruptors are found in everything from certain plastics to various cosmetics. “There’s a ton of stuff around that has estrogenic material in it.” There’s makeup that you rub into your skin for a youthful appearance that is really estrogen.”

12/13/09 (continued)
More than 80,000 new chemicals have been developed since World War II. Of the major chemicals, fewer than 20% have been tested for toxicity to children.

Doctors advise that we should not microwave food in plastic containers or put plastics in the dishwasher, because heat may cause chemicals to leach out. A list of “safer plastics” includes those marked (usually at the bottom of a container) 1, 2, 4 or 5.

Studies suggest that “plastics to avoid” are those numbered 3, 6 and 7 (unless they are also marked “BPA-free”). Although the final verdict is still uncertain, my weekend project is to go through containers in our house and toss out 3’s, 6’s and 7’s.

I just looked at the bottom of my solo water cup as I wrote this newsletter and the number on the bottom is a 6. Hmm….tossing!

12/06/09
Detox with Cranberries
Pure cranberry juice, not to be confused with cranberry cocktail juice, helps rid the body of toxins, can prevent infections and according to some, reduce the appearance of cellulite!

University of Rochester findings showed that cranberry juice contains high levels of organic acids, which have an emulsifying effect upon fat deposits, thereby helping you reduce excess fat. Some go so far as to say that these acids help flush the body of cellulite, but the jury’s still out on this one.

Cranberries have more antioxidants than any other fruit. And are a good source of vitamins A, B complex, C, folic acid and fiber. The hippuric acid contained in cranberries has the natural antibiotic ingredients to fight off harmful bacteria within the body, leading the Infectious Disease Society of America to conclude in a 2002 study that cranberry juice may inhibit a type of bacteria that is a common cause of ear and repertory infections in children. Similarly, cranberry juice is touted to help prevent bladder infections, especially in women.

Mix a few ounces of pure cranberry juice (be ready, it’s tart) with several ounces of sparkling water for an exciting, detoxifying treat!

Archives:
March 2010
February 2010
January 2010
December 2009
November 2009
October 2009
September 2009
August 2009

*The nutritional information contained herein is based upon information Hilliard Studio Method reasonably believes to be accurate. We are not responsible for any adverse effects related to following this information.