8 Old Wives Tales: Which Should You Believe?

1. Grandma's wisdom: Ginger is good for upset stomachs.
Science says: Yes. Good evidence shows ginger reduces nausea.

2. Grandma's wisdom: An apple a day keeps the doctor away.
Science says: Granny's overstating this fruit's potency. Still, the peel is a good source of quercetin, an important antioxidant that, studies suggest, helps lower blood pressure, fight asthma and allergies, and prevent heart attacks.

3. Grandma's wisdom: Honey speeds healing.
Science says: Yes. Mild to moderate burns (but not other types of wounds) heal faster if you spread honey on them -- maybe because it creates a moist, antibacterial environment that promotes tissue growth.

4. Grandma's wisdom: Put butter on a burn.
Science says: No. There's no evidence of a benefit from butter.

5. Grandma's wisdom: Sleeping in air-conditioning can give you a chill.
Science says: She may be onto something. Air conditioners dry out the protective layer of mucus along nasal passages, which likely allows viruses to infect you more easily. Viruses reproduce faster inside a cold nose too.

6. Grandma's wisdom: If you go out with wet hair, you'll catch a cold.
Science says: Maybe. Some research indicates (but doesn't prove) that a wet head helps cold viruses take hold, by tightening blood vessels in the nose and making it harder for white blood cells to reach the viruses and fight them off.

7. Grandma's wisdom: Swimming after eating can lead to cramps and drowning.
Science says: Not exactly, but not completely wrong either. After you eat, blood gets shunted to your digestive tract and away from exercising muscles. That can lead to a buildup of lactic acid in your muscles, so swimming a few laps too soon after lunch could cause a sudden (though not fatal) cramp.

8. Grandma's wisdom: Chocolate gives you pimples.
Science says: Not quite. Chocolate bars might trigger an acne flare-up, but if so, the culprit is probably the sugar, milk, and gooey fillings, not the cocoa.

5 Worst Sandwiches

#5. Subway Meatball Marinara Footlong

1,160 calories

46 g fat (18 g saturated, 2 g trans)

3,060 mg sodium

Eat This Instead!
Roast Beef 6-inch
310 calories
4.5 g fat (1.5 g saturated, 0 g trans)
840 mg sodium

#4. Blimpie Special Vegetarian 12"

1,186 calories

60 g fat (19 saturated fat)

2,198 mg sodium

Eat This Instead!

VegiMax on Wheat 6"

499 calories

21 g fat (6 g saturated)

909 mg sodium

#3. Applebee's Grilled Cheese BLT

1,310 calories

(no other nutritional information available)

Grilled Sirloin Sandwich

680 calories

(no other nutritional information available)

#2. Quizno's Large Tuna Melt

1,760 calories

25 g saturated fat

2,120 mg sodium

Eat This Instead!

Bistro Steak Melt Sammie

390 calories

11.5 g saturated fat

1,050 mg sodium

#1: The Worst Sandwich in America

Cheesecake Factory Grilled Shrimp & Bacon Club

1930 calories

24 g saturated fat

2,965 mg sodium

It's no surprise really that an item from the Cheesecake Factory would make it to the "Worst" spot on any list. Since the Factory was forced to give up their nutrition information in California, we've learned that this irresponsible chain has a menu full of items that pack in well over 1,000 calories—and in some cases, well over 2,000. Their argument is usually that the dishes are meant to be split, or saved for later. But who splits a sandwich?

Eat This Instead!

One-half Turkey Sandwich

448 calories

6 g saturated fat

817 mg sodium

THE UNHEALTHIEST FRIES IN AMERICA

Worst Curly Fries

Arby’s Curly Fries (Large)

640 calories

34g fat (5g saturated, 0g trans)

1,460 mg sodium

Eat This Instead!

Home-style Fries (Small)

350 calories

15g fat (2g saturated)

720 mg sodium

Worst Wedge Fries

Jack in the Box Bacon Cheddar Wedges

715 calories

45g fat (13g saturated, 1g trans)

905 mg sodium

Eat This Instead!

Grilled Chicken Strips (4) with Fire Roasted Salsa

185 calories

2g fat (0.5g saturated)

805 mg sodium

Worst Fries for Your Blood Pressure

Dairy Queen Chili Cheese Fries

1,240 calories

71g fat (28g saturated, 0.5g trans)

2,550 milligrams sodium

Eat This Instead!

French Fries (regular)

310 calories

13g fat (2g saturated)

640 mg sodium

Worst Regular Order of Fries

Five Guys Fries (large)

1,464 calories

71g fat (14g saturated)

213 mg sodium

Eat This Instead!

Regular Fries (1/2 serving)

310 calories

15g fat (3g saturated)

45 mg sodium

Worst Fries in America

Chili’s Texas Cheese Fries w/Jalapeno Ranch

1,920 calories

147g fat (63g saturated)

3,580 mg sodium

Eat This Instead!

Home-style Fries

380 calories

23g fat (4g saturated)

230 mg sodium

Best Fast Food Fries in America

McDonald’s Small French Fries

230 calories

11g fat (1.5g saturated)

160 mg sodium

SOURCE: David Zinczenko, with Matt Goulding (http://health.yahoo.com/experts/eatthis/46018/americas-worst-french-fries-and-what-you-should-eat-instead/)

Quick workout video

Try this intense workout, it might seem very difficult at first, after a couple of days you will be well on your way to a well toned body

Ten ways to make exercise a habit

1. Do a variety of activities you enjoy. There is no rule which says you have to go to the gym or buy expensive gym equipment. Having a variety of activities such as yoga, soccer, tennis, cycling, and aerobics classes will help ensure that you will always have something to do regardless of the weather or time of day.

2. Commit to another person. It is easy to let yourself off; agreeing to work out with a friend makes it harder to let yourself off at the risk of letting them down.

3. Make exercise a priority. It has to be a non-negotiable.

4. Exercise first thing in the morning. Experts agree that a morning schedule is best.

5. Or, exercise on your way home from work/class. The next best thing to exercising first thing in the morning is to do it on your way home from work/class. Don't go home first, there aren't a lot of people who are so motivated that after they go home and change clothes will go back out again and exercise."

6. Exercise even when you're "too tired." Chances are you'll feel better after exercising.

7. Log your activity. Write down the things that are important to you. It could be how much time you exercise each day, how many steps you walked, how far you ran or cycled, what you weighed, etc. Some people make a game of it. You may have heard of runners calculating the miles it would take to run from their homes to Boston (home of the famous marathon), figuring how far they run in an average week and setting a target date for "arriving" in Boston.

8. Be aware of all the indicators of progress. It's great when your clothes fit better and you can lift heavier weights or work out longer without getting exhausted.

9. Walk -- with a pedometer. "If you enjoy walking and haven't exercised for awhile, 10 minutes three times a day will give you 30 minutes. Use a pedometer, and work up to at least 10,000 steps a day. Nobody starts out with 10,000 steps. Find out what your daily average is, and, strive to increase the number of steps each week.

10. Reward yourself. Experts say that making behavior changes is hard, and rewards motivate. So decide on a goal and a reward, and work toward it. Rewards can be anything from a new pair of shoes to a night out with friends, do whatever works for you.

Adapted from:http://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/guide/exercise-habits?page=1

Botanical Facts

Native to North America, CRANBERRY (Vaccinium macrocarpon) vines are grown on acidic, peaty soil in bogs that are flooded at harvest to collect the floating berries. Cranberries are high in vitamin C, and the juice can prevent recurrent bladder infections by interfering with bacterial adhesion.

The cultivated APPLE (Malus spp.) originated in Kazakhstan, from which it spread widely. The Romans found prehistoric Celts already manufacturing cider. In colonial America, hard cider was the most popular alcoholic beverage, often preferred to water because fermentation kills bacteria. Unfermented “soft cider” is simply unfiltered apple juice.

Nobody is sure where OLIVE (Olea europaea) was first domesticated, but by biblical times it was treasured from Italy to Egypt for Its oil which was used for food, medicine, ointment, lubrication, lamp fuel, and soap. Olive oil is high in monounsaturated fat, a "good" fat that may reduce the risk of several chronic diseases and contribute to the health benefits of the "Mediterranean diet."

Adapted from Botanical Facts by Wendy Applequist (2005)

Home Remedies

HOME REMEDIES

Home remedies are natural cures made at home from natural ingredients such as fruits and vegetables. One main advantage of most home remedies is the lack of side effects, relatively low cost plus the added satisfaction of being able to treat yourself! This month we will be exploring several different easily made home remedies.

 

PETROLEUM JELLY TO SOOTHE LIPS

Petroleum jelly is inexpensive and readily available at most retailers selling groceries and other household goods. It may be smoothed onto the lips by itself, or it can be flavored with small amounts of honey or vanilla. To flavor the petroleum jelly, briefly heat it up in a microwave and then mix in the flavor. Make sure you cool it before applying to the lips. Petroleum jelly is a lubricant, and it soothes lips. It also sits on top of the skin and seals in moisture whilst also keeping out irritants. It does not, however, heal the skin.