Did you know that beans, peas and lentils or legumes, are a great protein source? They also provide our bodies with essential vitamins and minerals like folate, potassium, iron and magnesium. They contain absolutely no cholesterol, are low in fat, and the fats they do contain are beneficial. As a bonus, legumes are high in…
Category: Health Tip
The Mother’s Weight and the Children’s Risks
A recent study done by Karolinska Institutet and the University of Michigan, USA looked at the risks for stillbirth and infant mortality in second children based on the weight of the mother between first and second pregnancies. They found that an increase in the mother’s weight between pregnancies increased the risk for stillbirth and infant…
Children need to move!
Childhood physical activity increases bone mineral density and muscle strength. Children who exercised more during the first 8 years of school showed a sharply decreased risk of bone fractures, especially during the 7th and 8th grades. This was reported by Dr. Marcus Coster at the meeting of the American Society for Bone and…
No Net Benefit from Alcohol
A new study finds no overall benefit from alcohol consumption. Alcohol is the third most important modifiable risk factor for death and disability. It is linked with more than 60 health disorders. A study of over 114,000 adults from 12 countries found no net benefit from the use of alcohol when cancer, heart disease,…
Holiday Exercise
Even if you gain weight during holiday indulgence, exercise can reduce other negative effects. Research has found that 45 minutes of daily exercise can reduce the negative metabolic effects from “holiday indulgence” (short term overeating and inactivity). Even if it won’t keep all the extra weight off, it will help your body manage blood…
The Calcium Question
Several recent studies raise questions about the recommendations for calcium supplementation to increase bone mineral density and reduce the risk of fractures. These studies showed that increased calcium intake from either supplements or dietary sources may not be as effective in supporting bone mineral density or reducing fracture risk as once thought. Researchers in one…
Carbohydrate Basics
Whole grain foods, beans, and whole fruits should be part of a healthy diet. Many people today do not realize that carbohydrates are found in both healthy and unhealthy foods. This important nutrient provides the body with glucose, which in turn supports many body functions including physical activity. Choose healthy whole wheat bread,…
Better to Give than to Get!
We find in the Bible an interesting statement about giving. “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35). That sounds rather old-fashioned in today’s society. Even so, I think we all have experienced the good feeling of doing something helpful for someone else, so we have experienced a bit of that blessing….
Stressed before tests? Sleep on it
When deadlines are piling up, skimping on sleep in order to gain time and meet our deadlines may seem like a good idea, right? ‘Wrong’, say researchers at New York University School of Medicine (USA) and Peking University Shenzhen Graduate School (China), especially when the tasks we need to perform involve retaining learning (students, listen…
Less Sugar Is Better, Even for the Heart
Sugar, sugar, sugar…we all love it in almost everything! High consumption of sugar sweetened beverages, fruit juice, and sweetened teas is associated in children with higher triglyceride levels. Researchers found in a group of 600 young people that as sugary drink consumption decreased over 12 months their HDL (good) cholesterol increased. Reducing just one or…
Is Butter Back?
New research fails to exonerate saturated fat as a risk for heart disease. In an almost 30 year study, researchers found when people replace saturated fat (mainly found in meats and dairy products) with refined carbohydrates they do not lower their risk of heart disease. Those who replace saturated fats with unsaturated fats or…
Simple Hand Exercises for Osteoarthritis Relief
A small study of Norwegian women with limitations caused by hand osteoarthritis were randomized to a home-based exercise group or an information only group. The exercise group was given specific, simple hand exercise assignments three times per week. After three months of exercise, performance was significantly improved in the exercise group–joint pain was less, grip…