Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Becoming a Healthy Eater Shouldn't be an "Alternative"

Being a healthy eater requires you to become both educated and smart about what healthy eating actually is. Being food smart isn't about learning to calculate grams or fat, nor is it about studying labels and counting calories.

Healthy eating is all about balanced and moderate eating, consisting of healthy meals at least three times per day. Healthy eaters eat many different types of foods, not limiting themselves to one specific food type or food group.

Healthy eating is a way of life, something that you can do to enhance your body, your health, and your lifestyle, every day, not just during a "diet." If you've thought about making your life better, healthy eating is the place to start.

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Fluoride Treatment... This Test Will Reveal if it's Harmful

As a parent, you want to do what is right for your child. Then why not trust your own eyes? Test the situation yourself.

If fluoridation is the correct thing to do, then this test will help to ease your fears. If it is not correct, this test may confirm that, too. In any case, living without fluoride for a week or even a month is not going to hurt anybody. If it is truly preventing cavities, your child will not suddenly develop even one due to the lack of fluoride for just one week, or even an entire month.

The test? By now you have probably figured it out: No flouride for at least a week.

To be certain that fluoride is removed as completely as possible from your diet, or your child's, be sure to monitor the diet religiously for the test period, whether you choose to try it for one week or one month.

Eliminate local drinking water and use either distilled water for drinking and cooking, or find bottled water which you are sure contains no fluoride. Also eliminate soda pop, fruit juices made from a concentrate, mouthwash, tea, fish, and of course, toothpaste. If you cannot find fluoride-free toothpaste, use baking soda.

Now watch your child closely for changes in personality, sleep habits, energy levels, appetite, mental acuity, skin condition, headaches, stomach aches, etc. Basically what you will be watching for is whether any problems disappear.

Don't start staring at your child on the first day. This could make them nervous and color your view of their reactions. Besides, it's too soon to notice anything. Wait a week, then stop and think about the above characteristics. If you are doing this for a month, take a look every week.

If you see absolutely no differences, then drop it and go back to what you were doing before. But watch to see if any changes occur then, too. If not, you may feel fluoride is not a threat in your life. Do what you feel is right.

But if you do see changes after eliminating the fluoride, it is possible this substance is responsible. To test that theory, return to the old routine and watch even more closely to see if symptoms return. If they do, remove the fluoride again. If they again disappear, you can be certain that fluoride is the culprit.

If you decide you now want to permanently eliminate fluoride from your lifestyle, you have to be diligent in selecting consumable products. It can be quite a challenge to find foods, drinks and oral hygiene products that do not contain fluoride.

Good luck.