Nutrition

What Five Star Restaurants Teach You about Healthy Snacks for Kids

A fine meal at a good restaurant has many details. It uses fresh ingredients and interesting recipes. There is a variety of foods and the presentation is pleasing.

When food is prepared thoughtfully and beautifully, even the most basic meal becomes an experience. You can’t wait to try it. Once you start eating, you want to savor it.

But getting your kids to eat healthy snacks can feel like the opposite. Your child may balk at anything he thinks is healthy. She may be picky or prefer sweet or fatty foods.

You probably wouldn’t say that your child loves the snacks so much they can’t wait to eat them. And savoring them? Not likely.

But sometimes, the solution is easier than it seems.

Think about your snacks like a fine chef. Find ways to prepare your food beautifully. Make common foods seem unusual. Add interesting flavors or combinations.

Sometimes just changing the food a little bit can make your child dig in.

The Holiday Survival Toolkit: How to Not Drink at Parties (And Still Have Fun)

The holiday season is upon us and we all know what that means—parties.

Parties at work, parties at church, parties at school, fundraiser parties, caroling parties, Secret Santa parties…

It’s the season of so many parties that we long for a weekend night with nothing scheduled.

All the parties can lead to excess, but the biggest party of the season, New Year’s Eve, can be the topper. Many people drink so much that it can take days to feel healthy again. And even if you don’t drink to drunkenness, your extra alcohol intake in the month of December can take its toll.

I think it’s great to celebrate and enjoy the company of your loved ones, but I don’t want to see you sick. Find out how to not drink (or at least drink less) this party season. continue reading »

The Best (and Worst) Thanksgiving Foods

Thanksgiving is a great meal. Friends and family come together to give thanks and celebrate the harvest season–

…and to overeat.

All of us know the feeling of eating too much, too heavy, too rich. When we should be enjoying our time with loved ones, we are uncomfortable. We exasperate our health conditions and catch a cold. We put on weight and feel lethargic.

I’m not going to tell you to make dramatic changes to your Thanksgiving meal. Usually that doesn’t work—and besides, it’s no fun.

Instead I suggest you just make small choices. Pick one food instead of the other. Make little positive choices and they’ll add up to a healthier, more enjoyable meal. continue reading »

More than Needles: 3 Traditional Chinese Medicine Therapies You Can Do at Home

If you asked the average person how Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) keeps you healthy, they would probably answer that it uses acupuncture needles.

That is a good start.

TCM is a complex understanding of how Qi, or life force, affects your health. Qi flows through meridians passing through points which can be used to regulate and control that flow. When the flow of Qi increases, decreases or its quality changes, your health is affected. The most common way to manage the flow of Qi is with acupuncture needles.

But TCM is much more than needles.

In the second part of our two-part series “More than Needles,” you will learn three ways to keep yourself healthy using Traditional Chinese Medicine principles at home. By using these techniques in your daily life, you will be in charge of your health. continue reading »

The Surprising Truth about Migraine Triggers

How much do you really know about controlling your migraines?

New research suggests you may not know as much as you think.

According to Timothy T. Houle, Ph.D and co-author Dana P. Turner, M.S.P.H., both of the Wake Forest Baptist anesthesiology department, migraine sufferers make inaccurate conclusions about what triggers their migraines. Houle and Turner conducted a 3-month study of 9 women who suffered from migraines. They tracked the women’s hormone levels, their stress levels and the weather. The women kept daily diaries. At the end of the study, the scientists could not accurately predict which triggers would cause a migraine.

Their conclusion—most people can’t isolate the many complex variables in everyday life to accurately determine their migraine triggers.

So what can you do? Can you start eating anything you want? Do you give up managing your migraines?