Are you taking over-the-counter or prescription medicine? Dealing with a chronic health problem? Preparing for surgery? If so, be especially cautious of supplements. Supplement-medication combos may interfere with or boost the effect of medication to harmful levels. Either way, their interaction may become dangerous. Consider some examples: Vitamin E, garlic, ginkgo biloba, as well as
Next to potatoes, lettuce is the most popular veggie in the United States. Which leafy greens go into your salads? Dark-green leafy greens offer plenty of the antioxidant beta carotene (forms vitamin A), which may help protect you from cancer and may slow aging, and another antioxidant, vitamin C. The darker the leaves, the more
Need a chance to rejuvenate and de-stress your life? Rather than splurge at an expensive resort spa, luxuriate with a spa day at home. Invite your friends. At-home spa tips: Create the space: a quiet spot, comfortable chairs and pillows, gentle music, aromatic candles. Fill baskets with spa products: moisturizers, facial creams, massage lotions, fragrances
It’s well known that calcium is a bone builder. Calcium-rich foods may also help protect you from colon cancer and high blood pressure, as well as osteoporosis, and they may play a role in weight control. Getting the recommended two to three servings of calcium-rich dairy foods is easy. Try a quick-and-easy calcium booster. Add
When you think nutrition, think taste. A healthful meal nourishes only if it’s appealing enough for you to eat! Some qualities that make meals so appealing also add health-promoting value. Fruits and vegetables with different colors offer different nutrients and phytonutrients: orange sweet potatoes, deep-yellow mango, red tomatoes, dark-green spinach, and purple grapes. Vegetables cooked
Whether during the first inning or the seventh-inning stretch, chances are you’ll get hungry during a three-hour major-league ball game. Traditional choices abound: hot dogs, beer, popcorn. The good news is that today’s ballpark fare just might include some surprising options, from crab cakes or sushi to low-fat frozen yogurt or fresh fruit cups—and water.
We’re talking about your body shape, not your favorite fruit! Why does it matter? An apple-shaped body may be riskier for your health than a pear shape. Apple shape: Even if your Body Mass Index (BMI) falls within a healthy range, abdominal or upper body fat increases risks for diabetes, high cholesterol levels, early heart
In Thailand, the Songkran celebration brings in the New Year with ritual water-throwing fun—and flavorful food! Among Thai cuisine’s signature ingredients are lemongrass, peanuts—and hot-hot chilies! If you enjoy eating at a Thai restaurant today, try pad thai (stir-fried noodle dish), tom yum koong (broth-based soup), or spring rolls in rice paper. Go easy on
Do high costs cramp your fitness style? You don’t have to spend hundreds on gym memberships or equipment to stay it. All you may need is a good pair of walking shoes. To move on the cheap: Turn household objects into workout weights. Start by weight-lifting 15-ounce cans of food. Work up to gallon milk
Racing to finish your taxes? Stressed by the tax-dollar bottom line? Besides zapping energy and perhaps making you irritable, stress can contribute to health costs: headaches, hypertension, lower immunity, muscle tension, sleeplessness. How do you manage stress so it doesn’t manage you? Abusing food—either obsessive eating or meal skipping—to deal with stress makes no sense.