Thursday, February 24, 2011

Vegetable Juices

Drink vegetable juice, but don't expect it to replace whole vegetables needed in your daily diet. Television commercials want you to believe that you can drink your veggies instead of chewing them. Don't go for it! Whole veggies are still the best way to get your daily dose.

Vegetable juices are fairly rich in vitamins and minerals and low in calories, drinking 6 ounces will typically give you 60% of the Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) for vitamin C and nearly half the suggested daily intake of beta carotene. However, commercial varieties have lots of sodium (about 600 mg) and provide very little fiber compared to whole vegetables. Look for "no salt added" vegetable juices for the healthiest alternative.

Monday, February 21, 2011

Laziness, Exercise and the Health of the Union

Judging by the obesity rates, Americans are increasingly becoming more sluggish these days. A new study suggests that adults in Appalachia and a handful of Southern states are less likely to be active if there isn't a real need to move.

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention estimated activity levels in every U.S. county using data from 2004 to 2008. The report found that residents in Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi, Louisiana, Tennessee and Oklahoma are least likely to exercise in their leisure time than people living elsewhere.

The country's most active residents live on the West Coast, Colorado, Minnesota and parts of the Northeast.

What's the driving force behind the study? The areas with the highest levels of obesity and diagnosed diabetes were also the most inactive.

Thursday, February 17, 2011

Beneficial Vegetables Your Family Should be Eating!

Choose Cruciferous Vegetables. Cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, kale, collards, mustard greens and brussels sprouts all contain nitrogen compounds called indoles, which may protect against certain cancers. These dark-green vegetables are also great sources of cancer-fighting carotenoids (most notably, beta carotene) and they all supply generous amounts of vitamin C and fiber.

Check out broccoli. Broccoli is a nutritional powerhouse! One cup of chopped broccoli supplies a whopping 90% of the daily recommended daily allowance (RDA) for vitamin A in the form of beta carotene, 200% of the RDA for vitamin C, significant amounts of niacin, calcium, thiamine, phosphorous and 25% of your daily fiber needs. In addition to these valuable assets, broccoli has reportedly been a possible cancer fighter. Some of the substances in broccoli, such as sulforaphane, are thought to help protect against cancer. All of these benefits and only 45 calories!

Monday, February 7, 2011

How to remove baby formula from washable fabrics.

Baby formula is a protein-based stain. Protein stains are animal based in nature and require careful attention to prevent damaging the garment.

If the spot is on white clothing treat the stain with undiluted lemon juice and place the item in the sun to dry.
Most likely, the stain is on a colored fabric or shirt. To treat the stain on colored clothing, coat the spot with a paste made of cool water and unseasoned meat tenderizer and let stand for at least 30 minutes. Once dry, brush away the paste and launder as usual.

Other options:
Soak in an enzyme solution according to the item's and manufacturer's instructions.
In a pinch, wipe formula spills and spit-ups with moist baby wipes. Rinse with cool water, then treat any remaining stain as quickly as possible.