5 Germy Habits You Should Probably Try to Break

1. Not washing your hands after using the restroom. Have you ever heard the line that "urine is sterile" so there's no need to wash up. Um, sorry, you need to wash your hands. Sterile urine aside, there's still the business of wiping, flushing, and touching door handles--all of which could lead to cross contamination that can make you sick.

2. Eating food samples at grocery stores. For the same reason you wouldn't lick a stranger's hand, it's best not to dive into the freebie bowl of chips at the supermarket. Ask yourself: "Would I open up a bag of chips and share it, communally, with 50 people on the street right now?" Probably not.

3. Coughing into your hand. Maybe it's just me, but everywhere I'm looking these days people are coughing into their hands--instead of the inside of their elbow. If you tend to do this, try to retrain yourself to cover your cough with your arm and not your hands--it's polite and it also helps protect others with weaker immune systems from catching any bug you've got.

4. Rubbing your eyes--ever. After a fairly icky eye infection years ago, a doctor told me this: Think of your eyes as sacred and untouchable, and retrain yourself not to touch them with your fingers (no rubbing or messing with your eye makeup until you've washed them first). The second you touch a dirty hand to your eye, you're introducing all kinds of harmful bacteria and viruses, which can lead to annoying and even serious infections.

5. Letting your dog lick your hands then not washing them. Guys, I'm a dog lover, but when my golden retriever licks my hands, I go wash them. Yes, it gets tedious to do this (because she's always giving me kisses), but it needs to be done. I will remind you that dogs and cats get into unsavory things (I'll just be blunt: mine likes cat poop).

Read on 5 Germy Habits You Should Probably Try to Break

Too Much Salt Are Hurting Majority of Americans

Have you been eating too much salt? It was been reported that too much salt are hurting Americans. In the said report, American eat way more than the recommended amount of salt.

It was said that high level of salt causes stroke and heart disease and lowering self intake will diminish these very serious health consequences. When you eat salt, your blood pressure goes up. And high blood pressure dramatically increases your risk of heart disease and stroke. Recent studies definitively show that people who eat too much salt significantly increase their risk of stroke and heart disease.

Be motivated to eat salt no more no less. It was also recommended that 50% reduction of salt over 10 years. So there will be changes in food indutries and such. Lets be optimistic with this issue, for everyday we take salt on our diets.

Unilever Says New Milkshake Helps Control Appetite

GENEVA (Reuters) - A new weight loss drink that tastes like a milkshake significantly reduces appetite and could soon join Unilever's $400 million Slim-Fast weight-loss brand, the company's researchers said on Wednesday.

A study showed that the drink, which works by trapping gas in foods to make people feel full, worked even better than the company's Slim-Fast weight-loss drink, they said.

The researchers, who presented their findings at the 2008 European Congress on Obesity, said the company has patented the technology.

"The technology is now available for the brand to use in future formats," said David Mela, a Unilever nutritionist who worked on the study. "The food maintains the bulk, much of which is air that helps you maintain that full feeling."

Obesity is a big problem and big business. About 400 million people are classified as obese, putting them at higher risk of diseases like type 2 diabetes and heart diseases, according to the World Health Organization.

This has in part spurred companies like Unilever, Kraft Foods, General Mills, Sara Lee and others to turn to healthier products with a whole range of so-called health and wellness foods.

"If you look at western populations, a (large number) of adults are overweight," said Gert Meijer, an executive at Unilever's research and development division. "In terms of the amount of people who might be interested in this product, it could be huge."

In the Unilever study, the researchers tested their milkshake on 24 volunteers who were given either the new drink or a serving of regular Slim-Fast at breakfast.

People who had the milkshake reported that they were significantly fuller when asked at different intervals over a four-hour time period. The researchers found that a half-sized serving of the milkshake also suppressed hunger.

"We are clearly talking about hours," said Sergei Melnikov, a physical chemist who helped develop the technology. "It is an effect that lasts for an hour or two or longer."

The milkshake is designed to trap gas in the food after consumption, preventing it from dissolving in the mouth as happens with foods like whipped cream, and cutting appetite.

To do this the team engineered the fats, proteins and fibers in the food until reaching the right mix to trap the gas -- a technology that might appear in other Unilever foods, the researchers said.

"I would say this is not limited to liquids," Melnikov said. "It could be used in other food forms."


Read also on Health Benefits from Vegetables and Fruits

Fat Kids Found To Have Arteries of 45-Year-Olds

NEW ORLEANS – Obese children as young as 10 had the arteries of 45-year-olds and other heart abnormalities that greatly raise their risk of heart disease, say doctors who used ultrasound tests to take a peek inside.

"As the old saying goes, you're as old as your arteries are," said Dr. Geetha Raghuveer of Children's Hospital in Kansas City, who led one of the studies. "This is a wake-up call."

The studies were reported Tuesday at an American Heart Association conference.

About a third of American children are overweight and one-fifth are obese. Many parents think that "baby fat" will melt away as kids get older. But research increasingly shows that fat kids become fat adults, with higher risks for many health problems.

"Obesity is not benign in children and adolescents," said Dr. Robert Eckel, a former heart association president and cardiologist at the University of Colorado-Denver. It is why the American Academy of Pediatrics recently recommended cholesterol-lowering drugs for some kids, he noted.

Raghuveer wanted to see if early signs of damage could be documented. She and colleagues used painless ultrasound tests to measure the thickness of the wall of a major neck artery in 70 children, ages 10 to 16. Almost all had abnormal cholesterol and many were obese.

No one knows how thick a 10-year-old's artery should be, since they're not regularly checked for signs of heart disease, so researchers used tables for 45-year-olds, who often do get such exams.

The kids' "vascular age" was about 30 years older than their actual age, she found.

A separate study tied childhood obesity to abnormal enlargement of the left atrium, one of the chambers of the heart. Enlargement is a known risk factor for heart disease, stroke and heart rhythm problems.

Julian Ayer, a researcher at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital Sydney Australia, did ultrasound exams on 991 seemingly healthy children ages 5 to 15. He saw a clear link between rising weight and size of the left atrium.

A third study by Dr. Walter Abhayaratna of Australian National University in Canberra, Australia, also used ultrasound tests and found impairment in the heart's ability to relax between beats in children who were overweight or obese.

The study involved the first 150 children participating in a larger community-based study.

Earlier research he helped conduct found more rigid arteries in such children — a possible sign of plaque deposits starting to form.

"Even at this young age of 10, you can have children who have got arterial stiffness who are comparable to 30- and 40-year-olds," he said.

Dr. Michael Schloss, a New York University heart disease prevention specialist, said the evidence shows obesity is more than a cosmetic issue for children.

"If you've seen what's on the menu for most school lunches, these findings are no surprise," he said. "The time has come to seriously deal with the issue of childhood obesity and physical inactivity on a governmental and parental level."

Healthy Foods

Our society is in the midst of a health craze. No matter where you turn there is information about being healthier. One of the best ways to improve your health is to eat healthy foods. So often when people hear those two words they think of boring, tasteless foods that can only be purchased as a natural food co-op. But healthy foods are things that you already eat every day, some times just prepared differently.

Healthy foods and eating habits can be very pleasing to the palate and plate. The main thing to remember with healthy foods is that the closer the food is to its natural state the healthier it is for you. You can begin changing your eating habits to more healthy foods by cutting down on the number of prepared foods that you eat. Prepackaged foods are loaded with preservatives and artificial ingredients. Packaged foods are convenient, but healthy foods can be also, once you get in the habit of preparing them.

Healthy foods are very easy to prepare. It does not take any more time or money to eat healthy foods. Here is an example of a great meal that is easy to prepare, inexpensive and features healthy foods. Grill lean hamburger patties until well done. Place the patties on whole grain all natural hamburger buns. Serve the burgers with a large tossed salad and a side of steamed green beans. Follow this simple meal with an offering of fresh fruit for dessert. This meal can be on your table in less than half an hour and involves all healthy foods. Grilling or baking lean meats, fish or chicken is not time consuming. Tossing a salad of fresh greens and vegetables can be done while the meat is cooking. You round out the meals by using fresh or frozen vegetables. You can add variety to your meals by trying different healthy foods that you haven’t tasted before. The produce section of your local grocer is stocked with a wealth of healthy foods including exotic fruits and vegetables. Most produce sections have recipes and tips in how to prepare fruits and vegetables that you may not be familiar with. This is a great way to expose your children to a variety of healthy foods. Also available in the produce sections are many different fresh herbs that you can try to add different tastes to your meals.

Healthy foods can be used on a daily basis to prepare fast nutritious meals. You can also use healthy foods in more exotic recipes when you have the time. Healthy foods can also be prepared ahead of time and frozen for later use. When you prepare your own frozen foods, you know that they are not loaded with artificial additives and preservatives. Involving your children in the preparation of the healthy foods can create a time when each can share about their day. Eating healthy foods do not have to cost you time or money, and they are so much better for you.

Also read on myweightlossdietpills.com/healthy_foods.html

Medical Health Insurance

One of the most difficult problems with owning a business is finding appropriate medical health insurance. While working for a large employer, most people are offered a medical health insurance plan that is chosen by the company. Because of the number of enrollments they provide, they receive group coverage at a discount rate. Along with this group rate, they are also able to offer medical health insurance to people that have pre-existing conditions. However, when one tries to find medical health insurance on his or her own when starting a business, it is a whole different ball game.

The first obstacle every entrepreneur has to deal with is finding affordable coverage. The medical health insurance industry offers several tiers of coverage at different price ranges. The most affordable would be hospital coverage, which would only cover expenses during a hospital stay. From there, the next tier would be a medical health insurance plan with a very large deductible. Once this large deductible sum is met, the insurance plan would pay for expenses beyond that.

If one chooses to opt for insurance plan with a lower deductible, the monthly payments can be quite expensive, but the deductible sum is generally much lower. Medical needs certainly need to be taken into consideration when choosing an appropriate medical health insurance plan, such as usual number of doctor visits per year and medical equipment needs. Also take into consideration things like starting a family, as bills for labor and delivery and post partum hospital care can be quite large. If a business is just starting out, it must be taken into consideration whether a large lump sum or more expensive monthly premiums would be more manageable.

Another obstacle that may be faced is finding coverage at all if you have a pre-existing condition such as diabetes, severe asthma or cancer. Many medical insurance companies do not offer coverage at all if this problem exists. Other insurance companies may offer twice yearly open enrollment periods to obtain medical health insurance, but they are limited, costly and are often HMOs.

A fine option for those looking for independent medical health insurance is joining a local group of businesses. This allows a group of companies to obtain health insurance as one large group, and offers the same advantage that larger companies have of lower costs and coverage for those with pre-existing conditions.

Obtaining affordable and effective medical insurance can be daunting, but it can be done with some careful research and willingness to explore all options.

Health Supplements

When it comes to your health, you should be very wary of where you get your information, what you put in your body, and how you chose to live your life. With Americans getting bigger and bigger, and models and celebrities getting smaller and smaller, many are turning to health supplement to either slim down or to help bulk up their arms and bodies. Many end up turning to health supplements to achieve this.

The problem with most health supplements is that they are largely unregulated. This means that the FDA, or any other government organization, is not involved in checking these health supplements to be sure they are safe. One big health supplement that was pulled from the market was ephedra. This supplement was very popular with those trying to slim down without changing their diet and exercise habits. Some simply liked the burst of energy that ephedra provided. Sadly, it turned out that ephedra was deadly. This was just one of many health supplements that have pulled from the shelves. Ephedra is now back on the market, but with the dangerous components removed. Even so, there is no saying it is still safe.

Because you can buy health supplements at places like GNC and other retail outlets, many think that they are safe. No store would sell something that isn’t safe right? Wrong. They are simply putting the product on the shelf. You cannot think health supplements are safe just because you trust the store you find them in. Weight loss supplements are also found all over the Internet. This might be the most iffy place to buy them. If you choose to buy health supplements online, do a little research on the company. Find out where they are located and make sure you are getting the same product you would be buying in a local store.

Health supplements for weight lifters can be dangerous too. These are often called ‘natural’ but at many times they are not. Remember that the FDA does not regulate the term ‘natural’ when it comes to health supplements. The effect these ‘natural’ health supplements could have on your body could be deadly. You should always discuss with your doctor any health supplements you are thinking of taking. There are reactions with medications and health conditions of which you may not be aware. One herb or supplement taken in conjunction with the wrong prescription medication can have devastating results.

Health and Wellness

Have you been to the family doctor for a check-up lately? You know how it goes; once you hit the age of 40, they expect you in every year for a general physical. This is a good thing. How else could you monitor your health and wellness? When it comes to taking good care of yourself, there are some things you should focus on. I think every human being alive knows that their health and wellness depends on their lifestyle. Are you doing what it takes to make certain that your body is in proper shape and your heart-rate is sound? If you're not sure, then it's definitely time to find out.

What do you think of when you consider your health and wellness overall. For me, I have to say that my diet and exercise routine comes to mind first and foremost. Now, if you didn't already know it, you are what you eat and what you do. Don't get me wrong; I'm not talking about your career. I am referring to your everyday meals and routines. For example, do you dine out at Burger King each day for lunch? Do you spend your evenings watching television and munching on Cheetos? If this sounds all too familiar, then you may want to re-evaluate your personal health and wellness. It's time to wake up, people! You can't live like this and actually expect to live a long and healthy life. You're basically killing yourself slowly. How about trying a new routine? First of all, you have to alter your diet. No more fast food! The most you should consume this stuff is one meal out of the week. However, I would shoot for once a month. It just isn't healthy. Foods you will want to focus on are fruits, vegetables and fish. These are wonderful for your overall health and wellness. Your body needs those vitamins and minerals. Always make sure to drink loads of water. You can even toss a daily multivitamin in the mix. These are imperative factors to health and wellness. Of course there is the fitness side as well. Every human being needs to adopt some sort of exercise regime. This is essential to your physique, bones and muscles. It's crucial to keep them strong. For more information regarding general health and wellness, you can always log onto your personal computer. WebMD.com is a great site to check out if you have any concerns. Live long and live well.