Plastics have become such a pervasive part of our daily lives that it can be difficult to do without them, even when we are concerned about their safety. But most of the plastic bottles and containers we use carry a recycling symbol that can be a help in deciding how to use them.
A Mini-Guide to Plastic Bottles
You’ve been hearing all kinds of bad news reports about toxic chemicals leaching from plastic bottles and containers. If you heat these bottles or re-use them, you might be increasing your exposure to hormone mimics or any of a number of other chemicals.
But plastic is all around us, and not all of it is hazardous to your family’s health. How do you know which types of plastics are worse, and which are not as bad? One clue is the number inside the recycling symbol on the bottom of the bottles or containers. The numbers indicate which are accepted by recyclers, but they also indicate the class of plastic and its chemical characteristics:
No. 1 PETE or PET (polyethylene terephthalate)
No. 2 HDPE (high density polyethylene)
No. 3. V (vinyl) or PVC
No. 4. LDPE (low density polyethylene)
No. 5. PP (polypropylene)
No. 6. PS (polystyrene)
No. 7. Other or miscellanous
To sum up, if the bottle has the number 1, 2, 4, or 5 on the bottom, it’s made from one of the safer plastics. If the number says 3, 6, or 7, there is a greater likelihood that the bottle will be leaving a chemical residue in your beverage. Category No. 3, PVC or polyvinyl chloride, is the worst, followed by No. 7, which may contain polycarbonates (bisphenol-A).
Another rule of thumb is that the softer the plastic the more likely that leaching can occur. You can also use your nose. If you sniff a hint of plastic, find another container. Of course, your best bet is to avoid plastics for food and beverage altogether, and use glass, metal, or ceramic refillable containers whenever possible.
Showing posts with label water. Show all posts
Showing posts with label water. Show all posts
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Monday, April 6, 2009
Healthy Children for Life – Creating Healthy Habits
Creating Healthy Habits
Last week I wrote about the importance of starting the day with a good, healthy breakfast. I hope some of you have incorporated my ideas and created a more healthful start to the day for your children. Be patient with them. Don’t expect them to jump on the health bandwagon if they are used to having sugary cereals. Habits take time to develop, but, as we all know, take much longer to break – know any smokers? The important thing to remember is that you are in charge. If you don’t buy the junk, they can’t eat it. And when your children tell you that you’re mean and they hate you (as mine have), just remember that you are doing this because you love them. You do, in fact, know more than they do.
So let’s talk about some other daily habits you can start to incorporate into your children’s life. One of the basic philosophies that I live by is the 80-20 rule. 80% of the time, I eat my fruit and veggies, exercise, drink my water, etc. 20% of the time, I have some small indulgences like red wine, an Easter cream egg, some Miss Vickies chips, etc. The latter can only be justified if the former is well in place. For example, when I make my girls’ lunches, they usually have a piece of fruit, baby carrots, multigrain bread with butter (they don’t like sandwiches), some ham or chicken and then a treat, like a cookie. They know that they are not allowed to have the cookie if they haven’t eaten the other healthy food first.
Another great habit is to always eat something good before something bad. For example, if my kids want to have some candy, they have to eat a piece of fruit first, or have some yogurt or cheese. This is a great habit for life because there are always going to be temptations out there, but if you are programmed to eat something healthy first, you will be less likely to grab that treat on its own. I have been doing this with my kids for so long now that they automatically ask “what do I have to eat first in order to have……?” or “if I eat an apple, can I have……..?”
Try just one bite. This is crucial to developing your children’s taste buds. I hear from parents all the time “my kid just hates vegetables”. Of course they do, because it takes time for them to become accustomed to the taste. But you must persist or they will never like them. I love Caesar salad so we have it 2 or 3 times a week. My youngest daughter used to think it was the grossest thing on the planet. However, every time I served it, I told her she had to have one bite. Soon she was having 3 bites, then 5. About 2 months ago I felt like the best mom on the planet when she came home from school and asked to have Caesar salad for her snack – Victory!! Don’t be afraid to use good quality dips, like Renee’s, or cheese sauce (made from real cheese, not processed cheese which contains formaldehyde) to add flavour. Soon you will have your children asking for broccoli for dinner.
Finally, if your kids are thirsty, give them water. So many adults do not drink enough water because it is not one of their basic daily habits. The consequences are too numerous to mention. Teach your children to love and appreciate water as the best thirst quencher going and create one of the most important habits for a healthy life.
Last week I wrote about the importance of starting the day with a good, healthy breakfast. I hope some of you have incorporated my ideas and created a more healthful start to the day for your children. Be patient with them. Don’t expect them to jump on the health bandwagon if they are used to having sugary cereals. Habits take time to develop, but, as we all know, take much longer to break – know any smokers? The important thing to remember is that you are in charge. If you don’t buy the junk, they can’t eat it. And when your children tell you that you’re mean and they hate you (as mine have), just remember that you are doing this because you love them. You do, in fact, know more than they do.
So let’s talk about some other daily habits you can start to incorporate into your children’s life. One of the basic philosophies that I live by is the 80-20 rule. 80% of the time, I eat my fruit and veggies, exercise, drink my water, etc. 20% of the time, I have some small indulgences like red wine, an Easter cream egg, some Miss Vickies chips, etc. The latter can only be justified if the former is well in place. For example, when I make my girls’ lunches, they usually have a piece of fruit, baby carrots, multigrain bread with butter (they don’t like sandwiches), some ham or chicken and then a treat, like a cookie. They know that they are not allowed to have the cookie if they haven’t eaten the other healthy food first.
Another great habit is to always eat something good before something bad. For example, if my kids want to have some candy, they have to eat a piece of fruit first, or have some yogurt or cheese. This is a great habit for life because there are always going to be temptations out there, but if you are programmed to eat something healthy first, you will be less likely to grab that treat on its own. I have been doing this with my kids for so long now that they automatically ask “what do I have to eat first in order to have……?” or “if I eat an apple, can I have……..?”
Try just one bite. This is crucial to developing your children’s taste buds. I hear from parents all the time “my kid just hates vegetables”. Of course they do, because it takes time for them to become accustomed to the taste. But you must persist or they will never like them. I love Caesar salad so we have it 2 or 3 times a week. My youngest daughter used to think it was the grossest thing on the planet. However, every time I served it, I told her she had to have one bite. Soon she was having 3 bites, then 5. About 2 months ago I felt like the best mom on the planet when she came home from school and asked to have Caesar salad for her snack – Victory!! Don’t be afraid to use good quality dips, like Renee’s, or cheese sauce (made from real cheese, not processed cheese which contains formaldehyde) to add flavour. Soon you will have your children asking for broccoli for dinner.
Finally, if your kids are thirsty, give them water. So many adults do not drink enough water because it is not one of their basic daily habits. The consequences are too numerous to mention. Teach your children to love and appreciate water as the best thirst quencher going and create one of the most important habits for a healthy life.
Habits for Vitality #3 “Drink Good Water Daily”
As a Registered Nutritionist, I have clients who come to me with a variety of ailments seeking to restore balance in their body. In this series "Habits for Vitality", I'm going to give you some basic habits to incorporate into your life to help you make the changes necessary to live an Optimal Life.
Most people only consider 3 Macronutrients when looking at their diet: Protein, Carbohydrates and Fats, but there is a fourth Macronutrient: Water.
There are 2 very important questions I ask clients after I have heard their primary goals (e.g. weight loss, pain reduction, allergy issues). The first is how much water they drink on a daily basis and the second is how often they have a bowel movement. The answers will usually tell me if they are adequately clearing toxins out of their body and that is always the best place to start. Most health issues center around digestion (or rather poor digestion) and holding excess toxins in the body. Therefore taking water into account is vital to achieving optimal health.
Water - we take it for granted daily. It's just not big deal to have a shower any time we want, water the lawn, wash the car, etc. It flows abundantly (so it seems) so what's the Big Deal? The reason it is so abundant on the earth is because we need it in abundance in our bodies.
What percentage of your body is water? Have a guess. It's between 55% and 80%. So how important do you feel it is to drink good water?
- Drink at least two glasses of good water as soon as you wake up and take some Probiotics (good bacteria for the intestines that are vital for proper digestion).
- Sip good water throughout the day.
- Drink then wait around 20 minutes before eating.
- Drink 1+ hour after eating.
Try NOT to eat and drink at the same time, this dilutes the HCL (Hydrochloric Acid) in your stomach! What's the color of your Urine? Yellow can mean you're dehydrated, or you've consumed some B complex vitamins!
The Brain, along with all the internal organs and cells rely on water as a crucial substance to allow for proper functioning. Mild dehydration can interfere with concentration and cause headaches. Instead of having a nap in the afternoon, try chugging 2 glasses of water and that sleepy feeling will likely disappear.
If you are trying to lose weight and you are not drinking enough water - Good Luck!!!! You will struggle and isn't that the last thing you want? Converting fat into energy in the body is a very complicated metabolic process which requires a great deal of water. Also waste is produced in this process that must be flushed out of the body. Give yourself a break. Drink more water and watch the weight slip away much more easily.
Clinical and scientific research exposes, for the first time, that recurring "chronic pains" are a signal system of the body indicating severe general or local dehydration. Most of the arthritis pains can be relieved simply by drinking water. Instead, however, the patient often receives costly pharmaceutical medications which treat the symptoms rather than cure the cause.
Most people do not consume enough water on a daily basis. Infants who are breast fed do NOT need to drink water, as they get plenty in the breast milk. If they are not breast fed, they should consume 1.5 ounces of water per pound of body weight. Children should drink an average of 40 ounces a day. Children should EAT fruit and DRINK water as fruit juice is loaded with natural sugars (add sometimes added sugars). Adults should drink at least 48 to 60 ounces a day and more if they are exercising vigorously.
Increase your water consumption by one glass per week until you reach the desired intake of about 8 glasses per day. This way, your body will slowly get accustomed to receiving more water and you won't be running to the toilet every 10 minutes. The ideal situation would be to consume 2 glasses upon rising in the morning then have 1 glass of water every hour until late afternoon. If you have a digital watch, set it to chime every hour as a reminder. If you consume your water in the early part of the day, you won't be waking in the night for trips to the toilet.
Most people only consider 3 Macronutrients when looking at their diet: Protein, Carbohydrates and Fats, but there is a fourth Macronutrient: Water.
There are 2 very important questions I ask clients after I have heard their primary goals (e.g. weight loss, pain reduction, allergy issues). The first is how much water they drink on a daily basis and the second is how often they have a bowel movement. The answers will usually tell me if they are adequately clearing toxins out of their body and that is always the best place to start. Most health issues center around digestion (or rather poor digestion) and holding excess toxins in the body. Therefore taking water into account is vital to achieving optimal health.
Water - we take it for granted daily. It's just not big deal to have a shower any time we want, water the lawn, wash the car, etc. It flows abundantly (so it seems) so what's the Big Deal? The reason it is so abundant on the earth is because we need it in abundance in our bodies.
What percentage of your body is water? Have a guess. It's between 55% and 80%. So how important do you feel it is to drink good water?
- Drink at least two glasses of good water as soon as you wake up and take some Probiotics (good bacteria for the intestines that are vital for proper digestion).
- Sip good water throughout the day.
- Drink then wait around 20 minutes before eating.
- Drink 1+ hour after eating.
Try NOT to eat and drink at the same time, this dilutes the HCL (Hydrochloric Acid) in your stomach! What's the color of your Urine? Yellow can mean you're dehydrated, or you've consumed some B complex vitamins!
The Brain, along with all the internal organs and cells rely on water as a crucial substance to allow for proper functioning. Mild dehydration can interfere with concentration and cause headaches. Instead of having a nap in the afternoon, try chugging 2 glasses of water and that sleepy feeling will likely disappear.
If you are trying to lose weight and you are not drinking enough water - Good Luck!!!! You will struggle and isn't that the last thing you want? Converting fat into energy in the body is a very complicated metabolic process which requires a great deal of water. Also waste is produced in this process that must be flushed out of the body. Give yourself a break. Drink more water and watch the weight slip away much more easily.
Clinical and scientific research exposes, for the first time, that recurring "chronic pains" are a signal system of the body indicating severe general or local dehydration. Most of the arthritis pains can be relieved simply by drinking water. Instead, however, the patient often receives costly pharmaceutical medications which treat the symptoms rather than cure the cause.
Most people do not consume enough water on a daily basis. Infants who are breast fed do NOT need to drink water, as they get plenty in the breast milk. If they are not breast fed, they should consume 1.5 ounces of water per pound of body weight. Children should drink an average of 40 ounces a day. Children should EAT fruit and DRINK water as fruit juice is loaded with natural sugars (add sometimes added sugars). Adults should drink at least 48 to 60 ounces a day and more if they are exercising vigorously.
Increase your water consumption by one glass per week until you reach the desired intake of about 8 glasses per day. This way, your body will slowly get accustomed to receiving more water and you won't be running to the toilet every 10 minutes. The ideal situation would be to consume 2 glasses upon rising in the morning then have 1 glass of water every hour until late afternoon. If you have a digital watch, set it to chime every hour as a reminder. If you consume your water in the early part of the day, you won't be waking in the night for trips to the toilet.
Arthritis: Part 1 – Foods to Eat
As a Registered Nutritionist, I have seen dozens of clients who live constantly with Joint Pain and Arthritis. When I look at their daily diet journal, they are often eating too many of the foods that will aggravate the problem and not enough of the foods that will help alleviate the problem. In part 1 of this 2 part lens on Arthritis, I will give some suggestions on the best foods to incorporate into your diet to help reduce your daily pain.
"You are what you eat!" How often have you heard that expression and really thought about what it means. Next to breathing, there is really nothing that we do more often than eat. Most people eat 5 to 6 times a day, whether it be a full meal or just a snack. But as you eat, are you really considering that this is the fuel on which your body runs.
Here is an analogy for you. If you own a Ferrari and you need to fill up on gas, do you get the cheapest, low octane fuel? Of course not because you will destroy the engine. However, a Honda Civic needs that cheaper fuel and would be damaged by the high octane variety. So what is the real issue here. Is there a problem with either car? No. Is there a problem with either fuel? No. The problem is putting the wrong fuel in the wrong vehicle, or vise versa, putting the right fuel in the right vehicle.
So are you a Ferrari or a Honda? Are you putting the correct fuel in your body? Well if you have chronic pain and/or disease you already have your answer. When it comes to food, just like with engine fuel, “one size does NOT fit all”. So here are some suggested foods to help get your engine running more efficiently.
FLAX SEEDS: are high in essential fatty acids and have anti-inflammatory properties.
COLD WATER FISH: are also high in essential fatty acids and have anti-inflammatory properties. Examples include salmon, mackerel, tuna, trout and herring.
CRUCIFEROUS VEGETABLES: Broccoli and cauliflower have anti-inflammatory properties.
RAW VEGETABLES & WHOLE GRAINS: They are full of fiber which helps to sweep away minerals and acid build up and keep the digestive system free of harmful bacteria.
SULFUR RICH FOODS: sulfur helps to repair cartilage and bones. Examples include asparagus, cabbage, garlic and onions.
RAW PINEAPPLE: has an enzyme called bromelain which has been shown to reduce significantly diminished in patients who increased their water intake to 6 – 8 glasses a day.
CURRY: Turmeric is one of the main spices in curry and it has powerful anti-inflammatory affects as well as being a wonderful antioxidant.
"You are what you eat!" How often have you heard that expression and really thought about what it means. Next to breathing, there is really nothing that we do more often than eat. Most people eat 5 to 6 times a day, whether it be a full meal or just a snack. But as you eat, are you really considering that this is the fuel on which your body runs.
Here is an analogy for you. If you own a Ferrari and you need to fill up on gas, do you get the cheapest, low octane fuel? Of course not because you will destroy the engine. However, a Honda Civic needs that cheaper fuel and would be damaged by the high octane variety. So what is the real issue here. Is there a problem with either car? No. Is there a problem with either fuel? No. The problem is putting the wrong fuel in the wrong vehicle, or vise versa, putting the right fuel in the right vehicle.
So are you a Ferrari or a Honda? Are you putting the correct fuel in your body? Well if you have chronic pain and/or disease you already have your answer. When it comes to food, just like with engine fuel, “one size does NOT fit all”. So here are some suggested foods to help get your engine running more efficiently.
FLAX SEEDS: are high in essential fatty acids and have anti-inflammatory properties.
COLD WATER FISH: are also high in essential fatty acids and have anti-inflammatory properties. Examples include salmon, mackerel, tuna, trout and herring.
CRUCIFEROUS VEGETABLES: Broccoli and cauliflower have anti-inflammatory properties.
RAW VEGETABLES & WHOLE GRAINS: They are full of fiber which helps to sweep away minerals and acid build up and keep the digestive system free of harmful bacteria.
SULFUR RICH FOODS: sulfur helps to repair cartilage and bones. Examples include asparagus, cabbage, garlic and onions.
RAW PINEAPPLE: has an enzyme called bromelain which has been shown to reduce significantly diminished in patients who increased their water intake to 6 – 8 glasses a day.
CURRY: Turmeric is one of the main spices in curry and it has powerful anti-inflammatory affects as well as being a wonderful antioxidant.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
