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2/29/16

7 Wonders of Water

  1. Stay Slimmer With Water: Trying to lose weight? Water revs up metabolism and helps you feel full. Replace calorie-filled beverages with water, and drink a glass before meals to help you feel fuller. Drinking more water helps amp up metabolism - especially if your glass is icy cold. Your body must work to warm the water up, burning a few extra calories in the process.
  2. Water Boosts Your Energy: If you're feeling drained and depleted, get a pick-me-up with water. Dehydration makes you feel tired. The right amount of water will help your heart pump your blood more effectively. And water can help your blood transport oxygen and other essential nutrients to your cells. 
  3. Lower Stress With Water: About 70% to 80% of your brain tissue is water. If you're dehydrated, your body and your mind are stressed. If you're feeling thirsty, you're already a little dehydrated. To keep stress levels down, keep a glass of water at your desk or carry a sports bottle and sip regularly.
  4. Build Muscle Tone With Water: Drinking water helps prevent muscle cramping and lubricates joints in the body. When you're well hydrated, you can exercise longer and stronger without "hitting the wall." 
  5. Nourish Your Skin: Fine lines and wrinkles are deeper when you're dehydrated. Water is nature's own beauty cream. Drinking water hydrates skin cells and plumps them up, making your face look younger. It also flushes out impurities and improves circulation and blood flow, helping your skin glow.
  6. Stay Regular With Water: Along with fiber, water is important for good digestion. Water helps dissolve waste particles and passes them smoothly through your digestive tract. If you're dehydrated, your body absorbs all the water, leaving your colon dry and making it more difficult to pass waste.
  7. Water Reduces Kidney Stones: The rate of painful kidney stones is rising. One of the reasons could be because people -- including children -- aren't drinking enough water. Water dilutes the salts and minerals in your urine that form the solid crystals known as kidney stones. Kidney stones can't form in diluted urine, so reduce your risk with plenty of water!

Are You Drinking Enough Water?

Most healthy adults get enough to drink by letting their thirst guide them.
But the exact amount you need depends on your size, level of activity, the weather, and your general health.
You may need more water if you exercise or sweat heavily. 

2/10/16

The American Heart Association's Components and Tips for a Healthy Diet


You can help fight heart disease by making healthy food choices on a daily basis.  The American Heart Association's Components and Tips for a Healthy Diet are listed below. 

You can find these dietary tips, and more information about heart health, by following the link below to the Go Red for Women Heart Health Guide.

 Components of a Healthy Diet:


1. Vegetables and fruits are high in vitamins, minerals and fiber—and they’re low in calories.  Eating a variety of fruits and vegetables may help you control your weight and blood pressure.

2. Unrefined whole-grain foods contain fiber.  As part of an overall healthy diet, dietary fiber helps reduce blood cholesterol levels and may help you feel full, which may help you manage your weight.

3. Eat fish at least twice a week.  Recent research shows that eating oily fish containing omega-3 fatty acids (salmon, trout and herring) may help lower your risk of death from coronary artery disease. 

4. Cut back on foods containing partially hydrogenated vegetable oils to reduce trans fats in your diet.  Aim to reduce saturated fat to no more than five-to-six percent of total calories. Choose lean meats and poultry without skin and prepare them without added saturated and trans fat.  Visit Heart.org to learn more about poultry and nuts recommendations.  Choose and prepare foods with little or no salt.  Aim to each less than 1,500 milligrams of sodium per day. 

5. Keep your intake of sugar to no more than half of your daily discretionary calories allowance.  For most American women, that’s no more than 100 calories per day, or about 6 teaspoons of sugar.

6. Keep saturated fat to less than 7 percent of energy; use red meat sparingly and choose lean or extra-lean cuts.

Tips for a Healthy Diet:

• Eat slowly, take smaller portions and avoid “seconds.”

• Cook foods in ways that do not add saturated or trans fat, 
 like baking, boiling, broiling, grilling, roasting or stewing.

• When you really crave a high-calorie food, 
eat a small amount and forget about it, instead of 
resisting until you give in and gorge. 

 Find a healthy alternative to satisfy your 
craving. If you’re craving something sweet, 
 try slicing into fresh fruits and yogurt. 

STAY HEALTHY!!!!