Healthy Drinks for the Holiday

After spending the day battling the hoilday shoppers, it is nice to go home to a hot and refreshing drink. You may be surprise but there are several drinks not only good but healthy too.

Hot Cocoa

Hot or Cold cocoa contains potent antioxidants which reduces inflammation in cases involving heart disease. You want to be sure the cocoa lists dark chocolate as its first ingredient. Three onces of dark chocolate daily can lower your blood pressure. Around the holidays this surely is a good thing. You should also use skim or low-fat milk for a healthier body.

Mulled Wine

Mulled wine contains red wine which has shown to have powerful antioxidants in the grapes that produce it. Grapes contan flavnoids and resveratrol, which have anti-inflammatory effects that is thought to help slow the progression of Alzheimer's desease. Resveratrol is also considered to help reduce the risk of macular degeneration, a leading cause of blindness in people over 55.

Apple Cider With Cinnamon

Here is a great combination. Apple Cider, make sure it is paxteurized, has a great nutrient called quercetin in the apple. Quercetin works like an antioxidant and protects brain cells from damage which can trigger such diseases as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.

The cinnamon in the apple cider can improve glucose and cholesterol levels. Which is good news for people who have type 2 diabetes or high cholesterol.

Hot Eggnog

Hot Eggnog is a great tasting drink for the holiday, but again like hot cocoa use skim or low-fat milk to reduce the calories and fat You can always use the calcium in the milk. The egg in the nog is a great protein source. Eggs also contain a antioxidant called lutein. This has been noted to help prevent vision problems.

Foods with High Fiber Content

One might think that is hard to consume 25 to 30 grams of fiber a day when your morning ceral might only contain 2-3 grams. But you might not have a hard time do it if you focus on certain kinds of fruits and vegestables while planning your weekly dinners and healthy snacks. Here is a small list of fruits and vegestables that contain a higher content of fiber:
1) Food
2) Portion
3) Calories
4) Fiber (grams)

Baked beans (in sauces)
1 cup
180
16.0

Black Cooked Beans
1 cup
190
19.4

Cooked Kidney Beans
1 cup
188
19.4

Great Northem Beams
1 cup
160
16.0

Cooked Pinto Beans
1 cup
155
18.8

High brain Health Bread
1 slices
120-160
7.0

Fresh Cooked Broccoli
2/3 cup
30
7.0

Dried Figs
3
120
10.5

Black Eye Peas (Canned/Frozen)
1/2 cup
74
8.0

Split Peas Cooked
1 cup
126
13.4

Cooked Spinach
1/2 cup
26
7.0

Cooked Yams
1 med 6 oz
156
6.8

So eat happily for a healthy heart.

Whole Grain for Your Heart and Your Waistline

Health benefits of whole grain has been proven through research. A diet rich in whole grains has been shown to reduce the risk of heart disease, obesity, and some forms of cancer. Whole-grain diets also improve bowel health; they help maintain regular bowel movements and provides a feeling of fullness with fewer calories.

Whole grains can be an excellent source of fiber. Eating fiber is one of the ways in help meeting your daily requirement. But not all whole grains are good sources of fiber. Whole wheat contains the highest amount of fiber of the whole grains. Brown rice contains the least amount of fiber.

Consumers need to read the label and select cereals based on the whole-grain content and amount of sugar (less is better) it contains.

Most whole-grain sources yield from 1-4 grams of fiber per serving. You need between 25 to 30 grams of fiber a day. Like the champions, starting your day with a bowl of whole-grain cereal energizes you and helps keep you trim.

Successful "losers" from the National Weight Control Registry who have lost substantial amounts of weight -- and kept it off -- swear by the importance of eating a nutritious breakfast such as cereal each day.

Act In Time

Recent medical research has help us have longer and healthier lives. But still coronary heart disease is America's No. 1 killer. Stroke is No. 3 and a leading cause of serious disability.

The American Heart Association and the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute have launched a new "Act in Time" campaign to increase people's awareness of heart attack and the importance of calling 9-1-1 immediately at the onset of heart attack symptoms.
You must act quickly and call 9-1-1 immediately if you see or have any of the following symptoms:

Chest discomfort. Most heart attacks involve discomfort in the center of the chest that lasts more than a few minutes, or that goes away and comes back. It can feel like uncomfortable pressure, squeezing, fullness or pain.

Discomfort in other areas of the upper body. Symptoms can include pain or discomfort in one or both arms, the back, neck, jaw or stomach.

Shortness of breath. May occur with or without chest discomfort.

You also might see breaking out in a cold sweat, nausea or lightheadedness. Women are more likely then men to have these symptoms also women have been noted to have back and jaw pains. .

Keeping Yourself in the Blood Pressure Success Zone

The medical guidelines for normal blood pressure for adults should be less than120/80 mm Hg and drug treatment is recommended if your blood pressure is at or over 140/90 mm Hg. This was brought to light by The Seventh Report of the Joint National Committee on Prevention, Detection, Evaluation and Treatment of High Blood Pressure, published by the National Institutes of Health.

If your are between the age of 40 to 70 years, increase of blood pressure with each 20/10 mm Hg will double your risk of cardiovascular disease which also includes heart attack and stroke. The baseline starts at 115/75 mm Hg.

So using the base of 115/75 mm Hg and your blood pressure increases to 135/85 mm Hg you will have double your risk of getting cardiovascular disease.
So work with your doctor to keep yourself in the Blood Pressure Success Zone.

When Illness Strikes a Friend

You must understand that when your friend is ill you cannot fix him/her. But you can be there for them. Many times when a person is diagnosed with a serious illness, they will go into a type of shock. The will feel that they are losing control of themselves and their body.

They will need someone to hold onto. They will need your friendship more than ever. This is a time where your friend may be lost. Their mind is elsewhere, not focus on the day. This is the time you bring your strengths to bear.

It is a time for you to take action. Sit down with your friend and talk. It is not a good idea to talk about the illness. People who have been diagnosed with a serious illness do not want to hear about other people with the same illness, even if the final diagnosed is good.

Find out things that need to be done, and maybe you can gather friends and neighbors and assign them small tasks. But it is important not to do what you feel uncomfortable doing. You might want to just get a gift certificate or simply pick something up at the store for your friend.

Just remember that simple support can go a long ways. Such keeping the person up on what's going on, watching TV together, going to the movies, or taking a short walk together, if they are physically up to it.

Be that persons friend and support them through their crises.