health is wealth

The most ideal beverage, with zero calories, and 100% hydration is Water! 

Make sure to drink 6-8 cups of water each day. If plain water is not your thing, why not spice it up a little with a few slices of lemon, lime, or cucumber? Refrain from flavored water.  Almost always this flavored water can be very high in sugar and artificial sweeteners.

Always check the nutritional label.

Can fruits be contaminated?

Any fruit can be contaminated with chemicals, like the recently discovered fungicide-tainted orange juices from Mexico sold in the United States, or infected with bacteria, like the Listeria-infected canteloupes found in 18 States in America weeks ago, which killed 13 people and the toll is expected to rise. The incubation period (time from ingesting the contaminated food to the time symptoms occur) could be more than 3-4 weeks. The number of deaths here has surpassed the 2009 salmonella outbreak from contaminated peanuts, which was reported to be nine. There were also contaminated eggs, turkey, celery, spinach, and peanut butter reported in the recent past in the USA.

It is prudent to wash hands frequently and wash the fruits well, and discard any suspicious-looking ones, according to appearance, consistency, smell, and taste. The same serious vigilance is applicable to any food or drink items. After all, carelessness could lead to serious or fatal outcome.

Can eating a lot of salt cause cancer?

Yes, eating a lot of salt and salty foods increases the risk for gastric (stomach) cancer. Other risk factors include eating pickled or processed foods, presence of H. pylori stomach infection, and a genetic predisposition or family history of stomach cancer. Those with H. pylori infection are 50 percent more prone to develop cancer of the stomach. The US FDA recommended allowance of salt intake is no more than 2,400 mg a day, equivalent to one teaspoon. The Institute of Medicine and the medical community suggest 1,500 mg per day as the maximum limit for healthy individuals and much lower for those with heart failure or kidney disease, and other conditions where low salt diet is prescribed. Some anti-cancer foods, besides fish with its omega 3 oil, are citrus fruits (tangerine, oranges), orange-colored vegetables, various berries, sweet potatoes, carrots, Brussels sprouts, garlic, onion, cabbage and other and cruciferous vegetables, red beans, pinto beans, pumpkin, squash, and vegetables in general.

Do video games hurt children?

Excessive video gaming (desktop or hand-held) is hazardous to children’s body, brain, and health in general, causing anxiety, depression and poor performance in school, according to a study published by the American Academy of Pediatrics.

There are also physical injuries sustained after months and years of video-gaming. Some of them are back and neck pains, carpal tunnel, finger, hand, elbow tingling and numbness problems, and bad posture.

Since kids usually play alone, their concentration on their games deprived them of their awareness of their surroundings and people around them. Someone coined “Nintendonitis” to describe the injuries from repetitive finger actions, although all other video-gaming gadgets also increase the risk for the same injuries. An official website of a video-game manufacturer states that “some people (about 1 in 4,000) may have seizures or blackouts triggered by light flashes or patterns while watching TV.”

Indeed, parents should teach their children about priority and disciplined and scheduled video-gaming, so it does not interfere with doing home work and school performance, and not transform the child to a loner or one without social skills