Tips for a healthier you

The most difficult means to becoming healthy is having an appropriate diet from which the body benefits. For those who need the “not so complicated” nutritional advice, here are some tips to keep in mind and most importantly, to practice:

• You don’t need to deprive yourself of foods you love. Weight being an immediate parameter of wellness can be managed well if we just take in what we need and burn out whatever excess we may have taken in. At the very least, do not take for granted counting calories. Once you know your caloric needs, keep focused and do not exceed. If you exceed, the best thing to do is to increase physical activity.

• Keep watch of your caloric intake and note where most of the food calorie is coming from. Do not forget that fat has double the calories from protein or carbohydrates. So when you have two foods to choose from, choose one with much less calories from fats.

• As calorie counting is not the only means to achieve a healthier you when it comes to dieting, remember to eat foods with good amounts of fiber as it helps in heart and digestive health and blood sugar control. Dietary fiber is not only found in fruits and vegetables but also in other common Filipino foods like suman, bibingka, palitaw, puto, sapin-sapin, noodles (bihon, miswa and spaghetti), espasol and tupig.

Drink fruit juice may help fight diseases

Fruit juice is linked with reduced risk of cancer, improved markers of heart health and cognitive decline, and increased antioxidant activity, according to the study published on Monday by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).

These protective health benefits are similar to those of whole fruits, said the study, conducted by researchers at the University of California. The researchers came to the conclusion after summarizing recent research data on the potential benefits of fruit juice. The review included a range of study types, from in vitro to clinical trials (60 papers total), all published in 2005 or later.

Car pollution can damage brain

Being exposed to highway pollution can cause brain damage in mice akin to memory loss and Alzheimer's disease, US researchers said Thursday. Scientists recreated the airborne pollutants that come from the burning of fossil fuels and the weathering of car parts and pavement, and exposed mice to the harsh air for 15 hours per week over 10 weeks.

The tiny air particles were "roughly one-thousandth the width of a human hair, and too small for car filtration systems to trap," but exerted massive damage on the brains of the exposed mice, said the study.

Problem with Chlorinated Water

Up to now, most public health experts still say that chlorination of water intended for human consumption is the cheapest, most effective and safest way to prevent life-threatening waterborne diseases such as cholera, typhoid fever and amebiasis. Indeed, chlorination of drinking water, which started early this century, has been regarded as one of the greatest advances in public health ever. Aside from destroying pathogens, chlorine has other benefits. It controls the growth of microorganisms, fungi and algae in water reservoirs and pipes, and in the process, it keeps water pipes patent. It likewise neutralizes the taste and odor of algae and decaying vegetation, making drinking water more palatable. It also eliminates obnoxious gases and compounds like ammonia and hydrogen sulfide from water.