MTips

How to Eat Healthy in Six Weeks
By Laura Jean Holton
How to Eat Healthy in Six Weeksthumbnail Healthy eating doesn’t have to be boring.

Improving your diet for just six weeks can help you to lose weight and look younger. You don’t need to keep to strict routines or avoid all of your favorite foods to be healthy; instead, adapt your meals and snacks to include the food types you’re lacking. Improving your nutrition reduces your susceptibility to heart disease, cancer, diabetes and depression. You will see improvements in your memory, energy levels and mood. Devise meal ideas in advance over the six-week period to ensure you stick to your plan.

To Eat Healthy in Six Weeks Instructions:

• Make sure that every meal you eat contains protein, such as 3 to 4 ounces of skinless poultry, lean beef or seafood. Alternatively, eat one egg or two to three egg whites. Protein provides your body with amino acids for growth of muscle tissue, hair, nails, skin, bone and blood cells.
• Add at least one serving of any fresh or frozen fruits, vegetables or legumes to each meal. A serving could be one apple, two apricots, one cup of salad, half a cup of cooked vegetables or half a cup of beans.
• Snack on unsalted nuts or seeds and fresh fruit twice a day. Choose nuts with fewer calories; for instance, eat almonds instead of Brazil nuts. Have an additional snack if you eat your last meal more than three hours before you go to bed. Nuts will satisfy your hunger and provide you with a good source of protein, fiber, essential fats and antioxidants to fight aging.
• Cut dairy, soy and grain out of your diet for the first three or four weeks. These foods can lead to bloating, low energy levels and dry skin.
• Incorporate up to 100 calories of dairy or soy foods to every meal after the third or fourth week, such as 7 ounces of low fat milk or 4 ounces of tofu.
• Add potatoes, sweet potatoes and 100 calories of whole grain products to your meals after week five. Sources of whole grain could be a slice of multigrain bread, half a cup of oatmeal, half a cup of whole wheat pasta or a third of a cup of brown rice. Avoid these foods for longer if you begin to feel bloated.
• Cut out processed foods, such as cookies and chips, from your diet. Continue to reduce how much you eat of these foods after the six weeks. Processed foods contain high levels of carbohydrates that cause inflammation, leading to aging.
• Drink 10 to 12 fluid ounces of water, sparkling water or unsweetened green or herbal iced tea every time you eat. Completely avoid soda, including diet soda. Allow yourself one or two cups of black coffee or tea daily.
• Take a daily high-potency multivitamin containing 5 micrograms of vitamin D to assist with calcium absorption. Take 2 to 3 grams of cold-water fish oil for inflammation, reduction of sun damage and skin improvement. Take two calcium tablets of 350 to 500 milligrams daily to strengthen bones and two magnesium tablets of 200 to 400 milligrams daily, also for calcium absorption.

How to Drink Bee Pollen
By Sarah Ince
How to Drink Bee Pollenthumbnail Bee pollen contains high amounts of B vitamins, minerals and amino acids.

Enjoy liquid bee pollen as a nourishing addition to your morning meal or afternoon snack. This rich, natural food contains high amounts of B vitamins, minerals, amino acids and enzymes such as amylase, pectase, cozymase, as well as a long list of other enzymes and nutrients. Most types of been pollen have been made into granules, so you need to make a few adjustments to prepare it in liquid form. A little bit of bee pollen goes a long way, so you don’t need to drink much to enjoy the health benefits.

To Drink Bee Pollen You’ll Need:

• Blender
• Measuring cups
• Ice
• Bee pollen
• Fruit

To Drink Bee Pollen Instructions:

• Pour 1/2 cup of pure water and a few ice chips in your blender. You need to blend bee pollen with a few other ingredients to make it turn into a liquid.
• Put 2 tbsp. or more of been pollen into the blender.
• Pour 1/2 cup of strawberries or mixed berries into the blender for sweetness. Bee pollen and water alone tastes very bland, so the fruit helps to make it into a sweet drink. Make sure the lid is secure on the blender before you press any buttons.
• Blend it on high until all the granules have been liquefied. Repeat and blend several times until there are no chunks of fruit or granules.
• Pour the bee pollen drink in a glass and drink slowly. You should taste the fruit, but sometimes the pollen itself produces an after taste that you might not like. Drink it slowly and make sure that you get it all down. Add more fruit if needed.
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How to Tell If Breast Milk Is Not Spoiled
By Andrew Smith
How to Tell If Breast Milk Is Not Spoiledthumbnail Always inspect breast milk before feeding it to your little one.

According to the BabyCenter.com, breastfeeding helps protect your child from SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome), allergies, childhood obesity and other health problems. Using a breast pump to extract milk allows you to store the liquid inside a refrigerator or freezer, giving you the ability to use the milk at a later time. Just as with milk that you purchase at a grocery store, breast milk does have a shelf life. Giving your child sour or spoiled breast milk is not recommended, so you must always inspect milk before giving it to your baby.

To Tell If Breast Milk Is Not Spoiled Instructions:

• Taste a small portion of the breast milk. Breast milk that has not spoiled still has its original taste, while breast milk that has gone bad has an unmistakable foul taste, similar to spoiled store-bought cow’s milk.
• Smell the bottle or container of breast milk. Milk that has gone bad has a very foul and sour smell that causes you to immediately move your nose away from the container. One sniff is all it takes to know if breast milk is spoiled.
• Swirl the milk gently for about five to 10 seconds to redistribute the liquid’s cream and milk layers. Then inspect the container or bottle, looking for any clumps or solid portions of milk. Discard the milk if you notice any of these clumps. Milk that is just separated into layers, however, is still safe for consumption.

• It is best to place breast milk in a refrigerator or freezer as soon as possible.

• According to WorkAndPump.com, breast milk is good for approximately 10 hours when stored at room temperature, roughly eight days when stored inside a refrigerator and up to six months when stored inside a freezer (depending on how often you open the freezer’s door).
• Breast milk that is a different color, such as green or pink, is safe to drink. According to La Leche League, such color changes occur due to dyes in food you consume or even blood from the nipple. Neither of these issues endanger your child.
• As with store-bought cow’s milk or any dairy product, always use a “better safe than sorry” approach whenever dealing with breast milk. Discard the breast milk if you notice even the hint of a sour taste or smell or if you are unsure of the age of the milk, as spoiled breast milk can cause stomach issues for your little one.

How to Create Weight Loss Challenges
By Catherine Lovering
How to Create Weight Loss Challengesthumbnail Challenge everyone you know to get fit and feel good.

Engaging in friendly competition with friends, family or co-workers can keep you motivated to lose weight. Some individuals may find that the peer pressure of a competition helps them improve their health and keep up with eating right and exercising on a regular basis. A weight loss challenge is also a good way to form a support network for those who participate so they can maintain their new lifestyle after the challenge has ended.

To Dispose of Sharps Containers in Tennessee Instructions:

• Find people willing to participate. Look around your community and network of friends to determine who might be willing to undertake a weight loss challenge. If you would rather not approach people directly, issue a notice to let people know to contact you if they are interested. For example, ask your pastor if you can place a note in the church bulletin about the weight loss challenge idea. You can also do the same in a staff newsletter.
• Determine the nature of the weight loss challenge. For example, you can create a competitive challenge whereby participants lose as much weight as they can within a period of time. Alternatively, you can create a non-competitive challenge whereby every individual is encouraged to meet a personal weight loss goal. In either scenario, you can have periodic weigh-ins throughout the challenge to allow people to monitor their progress. Those who are losing weight are congratulated and those who are not losing are given support and encouragement.
• Set a timeline for the challenge. If you want to run several challenges, set a timeline for each one that allows people to get into the routine of weight loss and to create an overall lifestyle change so the new healthy habits will stick. For example, you may wish to create a new challenge every three months with weekly check-ins.
• Decide whether the challenge will be semi-private or public. Decide whether everyone’s progress will be made available to all participants or whether only the “winner” each week will be revealed. If one participant does not want his particular statistics revealed each week, his privacy should be respected in order to maintain the goodwill of the project.
• Establish a database to track the challenge statistics and choose one or two trustworthy people to maintain it in confidence. Alternatively, you may wish to have participants “self-report” their progress every week to the challenge administrators and likewise have participants “self-report” their final result at the end of the challenge.
• Decide on the ultimate prize or reward at the end of the challenge. Participants can donate money to purchase prizes or your company may be willing to sponsor it if the challenge is workplace-based. If your challenge is large enough, local businesses may be willing to donate a prize to the winner or to anyone who has met their goal. Participation prizes should also be considered for anyone who has signed up for the challenge and stuck with it to the end.

Plan and execute motivational events and activities designed to encourage healthy eating and exercise. For example, if a participant is an amateur chef, she may volunteer to provide a healthy cooking class to help participants plan meals. If a participant is an outdoor enthusiast, she may be willing to lead a hike in the local area. Keep the activities fun and pressure-free so people want to participate.

Reasons Not to Eat Raw Meat
By Beth Swanson
Reasons Not to Eat Raw Meatthumbnail Eating raw meat causes food-borne illness.

Millions of people get sick annually from undercooked meat. Measure the internal temperature of meat using a thermometer to ensure that pathogens that cause food-borne illness have been killed. Poultry should be cooked to 165 degrees Fahrenheit, and ground meats and pork should be cooked to 160 degrees. Beef, lamb, veal and seafood need to be cooked to 145 degrees and ham to 140 degrees. Parasites are one danger, but there are four main bacteria that cause sickness from raw or undercooked meat.

Reasons Not to Eat Raw Meat Instructions:

• Campylobacter – The most common cause of food-borne illness from raw meats is bacteria of the genus Campylobacter. The symptoms can include fever, headaches, diarrhea and abdominal pain. Bloody diarrhea is a more serious side effect. When it passes to the bloodstream more serious complications, and even death, can occur. The symptoms will appear two to five days after consuming the raw or undercooked meat. Illness can last seven to 10 days. Even though the bacteria can be transmitted through raw or undercooked beef or shellfish, the most common source of contamination is poultry.
• Salmonella – There are more than 2,300 types of bacteria in the genus Salmonella, which is present in meat and poultry. The bacteria cause salmonellosis, which can result in abdominal cramping, headaches, fever, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. When the infection invades the bloodstream, it causes more serious, and possibly life-threatening, infections. Symptoms from the bacteria occur between eight and 72 hours after the infected food is consumed. The infection may last four to seven days.
• Escherichia Coli – Escherichia coli, or E. coli, is a harmful pathogen found in raw beef. The bacteria cause vomiting, painful cramps and diarrhea, which is bloody in its most severe form. A fever is rarely present. Symptoms show up between one and eight days after the infected food is eaten. The illness lasts between five and 10 days. Patients can develop acute kidney failure, and the bacteria may cause death. A doctor should be contacted immediately when severe symptoms are exhibited.
• Parasites – Roundworms can be transferred to people from raw or undercooked meat. Common roundworms are Anisaxis simplex, found in saltwater fish, and Trichinella spiralis, found in pork. Tapeworms are other common parasites, which are commonly passed along through raw or undercooked fish, beef and pork. Symptoms for parasites range from headaches, vomiting, nausea, muscle pains and fever. Parasites can be treated by a doctor.

How to Get Rid of a Tingly Feeling in the Feet
By Amy Davidson
How to Get Rid of a Tingly Feeling in the Feetthumbnail Try massaging your feet to increase circulation.

People can get a tingling feeling in their feet for a number of reasons, including sitting in one spot for too long or muscle tightness following a heavy workout. While some causes are more serious and should be diagnosed by your doctor, should you come down with a bit of tingling in your feet, there are a few steps you can try at home to remedy that feeling.

To Get Rid of a Tingly Feeling in the Feet Instructions:

• Sit with your feet straight out in front of you and slowly flex them curling your toes inward for five seconds then slowly stretching them outward. Repeat for three minutes to see if that doesn’t help with tingling.
• Massage your feet with your hands working your fingers firmly into the arches and balls of the feet. This can increase blood flow to the feet, which can help to relieve tingling caused by poor circulation.
• Stand up slowly and walk around to further increase circulation to the feet. Often a tingling will come right before your feet “go to sleep,” which happens when circulation is cut off from the feet in cases such as sitting on your feet. If you can’t stand up and walk around due to tingling, call your doctor immediately.

• If tingling in the feet often occurs just after working out, your workout shoes could be the culprit. Often shoes that are not supportive enough or are too tight can cause tingles, so visit your local shoe store and have a proper fitting done with an employee to find the right fit.
• In cases where you’ve been sitting on your feet or in any position that has caused them to “go to sleep,” don’t try to walk too quickly. One remedy that can help “wake up” the nerves in your feet is running some cold water over them as you flex them.

• If tingling spreads and does not go away after trying these methods, call your doctor.
• If you have a constant tingling in your feet or it occurs at least once on a daily basis see your doctor, as this can be a sign of a serious underlying issue.
• If you have foot tingles occurring after a serious blow to the back, neck or head, seek medical attention immediately.