Happy Holidays – Traveling With Meds

The holidays means traveling for so many of us. When packing it is hectic and remembering all of your essentials is difficult. On the list of things that generally get left behind is your vitamins and other pills. The good news is some doctors offer samples instead of toting all of your pills with you if you are traveling for a short period of time. If you have to travel with pills you should always make sure to take your pills with you in your carry on and not check them through in case your luggage gets delayed. Always try to remember to take your pills on time. Vacation and holidays are stressful but your health is worth it. Try and take your pills with a beverage you don't usually drink (like chocolate milk or egg nog!) that way you can remember that you had a special beverage and therefore took your pills.

Your Diet Can Impact Your Vision

As many of us know a healthy diet is important to maintaining a healthy body. But what we often don't think about is the fact that eating healthy impacts our whole body. Sure it is easy to think about your waistline or how your pants fit, and in recent years it has become more and more important to think about heart health as it relates to foods. Now it is time to encompass everything else. How you eat can affect your vision. Keeping a healthy diet can help to reduce cataracts and other eye problems. It is imperative not to cut all carbs out of your diet because they are essential nutrients that the body needs, especially the eyes. Protein plays an equally important role in maintaining macular health. Don't stop eating those leafy greens and other vegetables. And carrots are still on the top of the list, too!

Happy eating!

Fighting the Flu

Aside from seasonal flu vaccines we all know to get plenty of rest and drink plenty of fluids, but how else can we keep ourselves healthy during flu season?

When you are healthy avoid contact with sick people. That one is pretty much a given. But if you are sick STAY HOME! Don't run around infecting other people with germs. Always carry tissues so that you aren't forced to wipe your nose on your sleeve.

Washing your hands should take at least 20 seconds of rubbing them together under warm water. Soap helps here, too! Avoid touching your face. Most germs are contracted through the face (gross, but true).

Keep yourself healthy and remember that you can continue to pass on the flu up to seven days after you get sick.

Seasonal Nuts And Health Benefits

During the holiday season it becomes difficult to get the amount of treats you want without all the fat and sodium you don't. A few spices that you can use to keep taste and add a few health benefits to your treats are listed below. Enjoy!

Ginger can stay for 60 days (after peeled) in a ziplock bagged if refrigerated. Ginger is known to reduce inflammation that is associated with arthritis and muscle pain as well as reduce nausea.

Allspice is a blend of many different spices which includes both pepper and cloves which may alleviate muscle pain and relieve toothaches and digestion issues.

Cinnamon is always a beloved treat to add natural sweetness to any food! But did you know it may also hep control blood sugar levels? Fresh ground cinnamon smells delicious, too!

And for all those cranky relatives that you would rather do without during the holiday season add a little nutmeg to their eggnog. Nutmeg has been shown to boost moods in animal studies.

Be sure to keep your protein intake high and your fat intake low to decrease your risk of heart disease, stroke and certain cancers. Make the most of this holiday season!

Vitamin C Deficiency!

Most adults do not get an adequate amount of vitamin C in their diets. Where this deficiency can be linked to scurvy and other such ailments it is important to increase your vitamin C intake especially during the winter months.

Vitamin C also supports the body's normal response to inflammation as well as supporting cardiovascular health, cellular health, prenatal health, eye and skin health and especially immune system health.

How much vitamin C should you get? Studies suggest that 300-500 milligrams of vitamin C daily is the right amount. However, the RDA suggests only 60 milligrams. So unless you eat plenty of fruits and veggies to get all of your daily servings of vitamins you should consider talking to your doctor about increasing your vitamin C intake.

Cheers to better health.

Vitamin Essentials for Women

It is important to get enough vitamins in your daily diet or supplements no matter what your age or gender. However, women seem to require just a bit more of certain vitamins to help keep them healthy in their busy lives.

Vitamin D is essential for optimal absorption of calcium. As we all know calcium helps protect and strengthen bones which will aid in the fight against osteoporosis. Calcium also helps support the natural sleep pattern and assists in normal blood clotting and nerve function. Also, don't forget your teeth are bones and need calcium, too!

B-complex includes thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, folate and others. These offer benefits in helping to withstand stress and helps convert food to energy and boosts metabolism. Which in turn promotes skin and muscle tone!

Iron is also incredibly important as more and more women are becoming anemic. Anemia can cause prolonged menstrual periods, childbirth and uterine fibroids. Not to mention feeling tired and weak lack of iron can cause your heart to have to work harder.

Life is demanding enough, give yourself every opportunity to make your body work easier.

Omega-3 and Fish Oil and Your Eyes

Adding omega-3 fatty acids to the diet, especially in the form of fish, can help prevent the development of age-related macular degeneration vision loss by more than 30%.

Macular degeneration is the leading cause of blindness in people over 50. This is an eye disease that attacks the central part of the retina called the macula, which controls fine, detailed vision.

Previous research has shown that a high intake of omega-3 fatty acids and fish may slow the progression of macular degeneration in those in the advanced stages of the disease.

You should try to consume about 3 ounces of Atlantic salmon or 5 ounces of rainbow trout per week.

Since omega-3 fatty acids cannot be manufactured by the body, it is essential that people get them through their diet or additional supplementation.

If you are opposed to fish or are a vegetarian you can obtain omega-3 fatty acids through nuts, which also have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects and may also reduce the risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes. These diseases are linked to AMD.

There are more studies are underway to investigate the role of the diet and AMD. AREDS2, a five-year randomized trial involving 4,000 people will test the effectiveness of supplementing with certain antioxidants and/or omega-3 fatty acids on the progression to advanced AMD. Stay tuned for updates on the AREDS2 study.