Video Health Tip Ep6 - SIDS

YzFIT Ep6 - SIDS from YzFIT on Vimeo.

4 Tips to Avoid Weekend Weight Gain

Weekends can be a great time to get in some extra exercise, prepare healthy food for the week, and get some much needed relaxation time in.  However depending on what is going on in your life it also can be a time of weight gain.  The neighbors BBQ, the girls movie night(this can often turn into a junk food fest), and the birthday party that you just couldn't get out of; may not be easy on your waist line.  Here are a few tactics to help you stay more conscious during the weekend:

Weigh in either Friday morning or Saturday morning depending on which day your weekend is officially going to start and know that you are going to do the same thing Monday morning.  This will give you some extra accountability.

Plan on eating a light meal(lots of fruits and veggies) before you go over to an event.  This way you will not be hungry and be tempted to eat a lot of those high calorie junk foods.

Offer to bring something specific; this can be a new healthy recipe, a salad or fruit tray.  This will give you a healthy option and may start the next trend with your friends.

Plan events or activities that will involve movement or getting some extra exercise.  A few ideas would be getting a group of people together for a afternoon hike or meeting at the community pool for a swim.  If the heat has been really bad you may want to plan going to a rink to roller skate/blade.
photo credit: Pink Sherbet Photography

Rancid Fish Oil

If you are taking fish oil have you checked to see if it is Rancid?  Fish oil is sometimes taken for its source of Omega-3 fatty acids.  However if the fish oil is rancid it may be doing your body harm instead of providing the health benefits you were seeking.

If the oil is bad you may notice that you are burping up a unpleasant odor.  The easiest way to test is to cut open the capsule and take a smell and taste to make sure it is still fresh.

Storing the capsules in the fridge will help them keep but testing the capsules should be done every other week or so to prevent consumption of rancid oils. photo credit: vinodvv aka vcube

Tanning beds just as bad as arsenic

How to prepare Leeks

Leeks belong to the family called Allium just like garlic and onions. A high intake of Allium vegetables has been shown to help reduce Total Cholesterol and LDL cholesterol (bad Cholesterol) while at the same time helping raise HDL Cholesterol (good cholesterol).

Product Review: Kashi - Autumn Wheat

Lets face it, you can't eat oatmeal everyday! So I was on a quest to find a cereal, just to switch things up and add some flavors. Per Dani Nichole's recommendation, I gave the Kashi - Autumn Wheat a try, I was a little hesitant at first, I have previsouly tried Kashi - Go lean crunch before and HATED it!

I have to say, Autumn Wheat changed my perception on Kashi, it's got the right kind of crunchiness, the wheat don't break away like Kellogg's all bran does, and it's got a hint of sweetness in it. I was impressed. According to the food label, it's got 6g of fiber, 7g of sugar, 1g of fat and a total caleries at 190. Not bad at all. According to the ingredient, it's whole grain wheat, with a dash of cane juice. Afterall, it is a process food, but not bad if you got sick of oatmeal. It's a thumbs up for me!

Skip This: Olive Garden Manicotti Formaggio

It's got three different kinds of cheese stuffed inside pasta shell. 940 calories
46 g fat (25 g saturated fat) and a fluid retention level of  2,530 mg sodium.

Product Review: Boca VS Quorn Chicken Patties

Boca Meatless Chik 'n Patties Original

160 calories
6 g fat (1 g saturated fat)
430 mg sodium

VS

Quorn Naked Chik 'n Cutlets (1 cutlet)

80 calories
2.5 g fat (0.5 g saturated fat)
420 mg sodium

Quorn wins! It manages to cut a few calories and less fat.

YzFit Audio PodCast ep6 - Sitting and Mortality Rate

New research shows that sitting for long periods of time can be harmful to your health. 
photo credit: Daveybot

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Skip This: Au Bon Pain Caprese Sandwich

Fresh mozzarella, tomato, romaine, and basil pesto may sound harmless, but this sandwich have more fat than BK's Whopper Jr. or a McDonald's Quarter Pounder. It's got 680 calories, 32 g fat (15 g saturated fat) and a whopping 1,200 mg sodium.

Video Health Tip Ep5 - Poison Ivy & Mangoes

YzFIT Ep5 - Poison Ivy & Mangoes from YzFIT on Vimeo.

Don't catch the beach bug

One the best thing about living in Florida is the beach, according to the American Journal of Epidemiology, they found that digging in the sand raised the risk of diarrhea by 44 percent in young children — those under the age of 11. And kids who were buried in the sand were 27 percent more likely to develop diarrhea than those who weren’t.

Contamination may come from storm sewer runoff or from the feces left by domestic and wild animals. Once the germs are there, the sand provides a very friendly environment for the bugs to replicate. For more information, check your local beach EPA report.

photocredit:SanyamStudios

Cherries and Cholesterol

photo credit: bensonkuaCherries are not only a good source of vitamin C but also high in pectin a soluble fiber that is helpful in lowering cholesterol.  Cherries you may want to stay away from are the Maraschino cherries (they are the ones that come jared and come on top of a sunday or banana split).  Maraschino cherries are made by bleaching the fruit in a sulfur dioxide brine.  They are then toughened with a lime or calcium salt.  The cherries are then dyed bright red, flavored, sweetened and packed into jars or canned.

What is a VO2 Max test?

This is one test that I have performed numerous times. The participant hop on a treadmill, stationary bike or ergometer  giving their maximum effort while wearing a mask that captures every breath. The machine analyzing the amount of oxygen consume, to determine the participant's heart health and how well their body process oxygen. If your score is under 18 ml/kg/min, talk to your doctor  and trainer bout increasing the intensity of your workouts. The cost of a VO2 Max test is around  $110 to $160. You can do the test at a physical therapy, rehab, or cardiopulmonary centers. unfortunately insurance providers will not cover it.

Dandruff

Most people shed a few flakes of dandruff, particularly during the winter(myself included, oh the joys).   In the winter months the scalp and skin are morelikely to be dry.  There are individuals who have a hereditary tendancy to develop skin problems that can be triggered by certain foods.  These foods will vary from person to person but there are a few more common offenders: hot liquids, heavily spiced foods, and alcohol.  To control mild dandruff doctors usually recomend shampooing daily until the dandruff is under control and then go to twice a week for maintenance.  Dandruff shampoos contain zinc and/or selenium which work as an exfoliant to speed up the sheeding of the dead cell layers from the scalp.

Carrots and Sight

When I was a child I was told that carrots were good for my vision.  Well having thick framed glasses that were not of the most attractive nature this was like a fantasy to me.  So I ate them with high hopes and expectations.  Sadly there was no change in my eye sight until I opted for lasik eye surgery.  However I was not completely wrong on them being good for my eyes.  Carrots have no effect on myopia or farsightedness but has an effect on preventing night blindness caused by a deficiency of vitamin A.  Vitamin A combines with the protein opsin in the retina's rod cells to form the substance rhodopsin that the eyes need for night vision.  By consuming just one carrot every few days you will provide enough vitamin A to prevent or overcome night blindness.
photo credit: Sister72

What is a Cardiac CT angiography?

It measures your coronary artery calcium score, calculate how much plaque is piling up in your arteries. The lower the calcium score, the lower the risk. If you reach 112, your physician might recommend aspirin or statins. The cost of this procedure is $350 to $900. Most insurance companies will reimburse you if you've previously had an abnormal stress test or chest pain.

America's Best Hospitals

Take a look and see if your regional hospital made the list.

1. Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore


2. Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn.


3. Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, Los Angeles


4. Cleveland Clinic


5. Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston


6. New York-Presbyterian University Hospital of Columbia and Cornell


7. University of California, San Francisco Medical Center


8. Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia


9. Barnes-Jewish Hospital/Washington University, St. Louis


10. Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston

For a complete list, visit US NEWs. You can also search hospital by their specialty.
photocredit:j.reed

Vita-mix 4500 product review

About a year ago I finally made the commitment to buy a high powered blender. Having used a Vita-mix previously and being impressed I was pretty excited to get one of my own. That first week I don't think I ate hardly anything solid; everything was blended. I made lots of smoothies, soups, purees, and sauces. While I do not use the vita-mix everyday it is still one of the most, if not the most used appliance in my kitchen. The differences I found between my vita-mix and the cheap blender that I had been using were quite vast:

My cheap blender, yes it would make fruit smoothies but there would invariably be chunks. Which in a fruit smoothie isn't the end of the world but when you are making a green smoothie with spinach you really don't want green chunks(the whole point is to get the greens with out tasting them!). The vita-mix takes care of that completely I've never had a green chunk and the smoothie is smooth.

The vita-mix can also blend things and get them smooth that a regular blender rarely if ever accomplishes. Ill blend nuts and use them as a thickener in a sauce (you would never know that's what i use because its never gritty). I blend tough vegetables into vegetable purees and soup bases. If I blend up a head of broccoli you would have no idea what it was with out tasting it because its so smooth.

Because of its high power it will actually heat up your soup if you leave it in there a few minutes. I make a very simple broccoli soup. Sometimes Ill steam the broccoli early or use left overs from the fridge. Ill leave it blending for a few minutes and the vita-mix will heat it back up.

The large capacity is helpful too. It certainly makes entertaining a lot easier, especially if I am trying to get a fruity desert out to all my guests quickly.

My only warning with the vita-mix is that its loud! be prepared to have your cat run every time you turn it on. Although usually you wont have it on but for a few seconds. It does its job quickly. Occasionally a piece of fruit will get stuck under the blade and not get blended but I find that's not even that common. It usually happens when I do not add much liquid to aid in the blending process.

One of my other draws to the vita-mix over other high powered blenders is that a friend of mine has a Vita-mix from the 70s and it still works, and well at that. It was easier to hand over the cash for it knowing that Its build to last and will be around for years to come.

Indoor Lightning Injuries?

Yup, it is not a typo. Central Florida is the lightning capital of the world, just recently we've had half a dozen people who were struck by lightning in the same week. Most people know about staying indoor and avoid hiding a tree, but lightning can still get you indoor. On average, about 50 people are killed by lightning in the United States each year, according to the National Weather Service. So how do you protect yourself at home? Don't talk on the landline phone, stop playing hardwire video games and unplug your computer.

photocredit:krunkwerke

Pillows and your health

When was the last time you purchased a new pillow? If you had to think about it, then it's time! Apart from your drool stains, you'll find bacteria, mites thrive in that warm humid environment. When you get your new pillow, it might be a good idea to invest in good pillow protectors, that way your brand new pillow will last longer. Do you have a favorite pillow? Tell us about it!

photocredit:bedzine

Unlikely Health Tips

Men's Health magazine's Matt Bean demonstrates some unlikely natural health tips to Harry Smith, such as using honey or black pepper on a wound.

Watch CBS Videos Online

Choosing Collard Greens

Collard Greens are a rich source of vitamin K, A, C, folate, manganese, calcium, dietary fiber and potassium just to name a few. They have been toted to help in the reduction of free radicals in the body which decreases risk of many diseases including cancer. Collards have an anti-inflammatory effect which can speed up the healing process and help bring down inflammation in joints when an injury has occurred.

Ginger, Herb water?

Ginger - is a great way to add  "zing" to your water. When paired with hot water, It clears your throat and sinuses.

Herbs - Mint, lemongrass can be added to your water as well, you can crush it first, then add water, that will help release the aroma.

photo credit:chatirygirl

Iron Absorption and Tea

Tannins found in tea have been shown to decrease iron absorption when consumed with meals.  While some teas can have some antioxidants and bioflavonoids, which may slightly lower the risk of caner, heart diease, and stroke you may want to consider drinking them at a different time than meal time. 
photo credit: NoNo^Q8 - Free Photographer

YzFit Audio PodCast ep5 - Worst Beverages of 2009

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Find out some of the worst beverages of 2009.

photo credit: ginnerobot

How to Choose Kale

Kale is one of the most nutrient dense foods meaning it is low in calories and packed with nutritients making it have a high ratio of nutrients per calorie.  It is rich in beta-carotine, folate, vitamin C, and vitamin E; just to name a few.  Kale is great steamed or goes great in a lentil stew.

Understanding Body Odor

Sweating is a normal function that helps the body maintain a normal temperature and excrete impurities out of the body.  There are two types of glands apocrine: which are located in the armpits, face, scalp, and parts of the trunk.  Then there are eccrine glands which are distributed throughout the body and give off a quart or more of perspiration through out the day (all the more reason to make sure you are getting plenty of fluids even if you are not exercising that day).

Typically the the eccrine excretion has no smell in contrast to the apocrine excretion which has a distinctive odor when broken down by the bacteria that live on the skin.

External factors that can effect body odor include: alcohol, garlic, onions.  Some people develop a defect in their ability to properly use a substance called trimethylamine which is found in foods high choline such as eggs, fish, liver and legumes.  When this takes place the skin will have a fishy odor after such foods are eaten.  Eliminating them from the diet will solve the smelly problem.

Some studies indicate that an increase in the intake of zinc and magnesium can help eliminate unpleasant odors. Good food sources for magnesium include: brazil nuts, sunflower seeds, seseme seeds, pine nuts, cashews, soybeans, hazelnuts, walnuts, and shreaded wheat.  Good sources of zinc include: wheat germ, poppy seeds, pumpkin seeds, pine nuts, cashews, seseme seeds, pecans, nori seaweed, and all bran. 
photo credit: dominikgolenia

Video Health Tip Ep4 - Exercise & Antidepressants

YzFIT Ep4 - Exercise & Antidepressants from YzFIT on Vimeo.

Olive Oil - External use

Olive oil is one of the best oil you can use internally, but what about external use? Did you know that you can use olive oil to revive damaged hair? Saturate hair with extra-virgin olive oil, then wrap with a warm towel for 20 minutes.

photo credit:horaceko

How to Cut a Mango

This is the way how I was taught to cut a mango, it is by far the best way to enjoy one. Mangoes are loaded with beta-carotene - which helps the maintenance of healthy skin, good vision, and a robust immune system. It is also a powerful antioxidant, and has been shown to help guard against cancer and heart disease.

Product Review: Roomba 500 series

I am a lazy guy, if there's something that can help me to clean less, I'm all ears. I have owned 4 roomba since 2002. The first 3 were killed by my dogs fur, the only survivor is my 2 year old Roomba 500 series. If you have pets, don't get anything lower than a 500 series, the older generation were not designed to handle fur.

One of the down side of being allergic to dust is that I must clean often, especially we have carpet. Let me tell you this, the Roomba WILL NOT replace regular vacuuming, you will still need to use your upright. However, the Roomba will reduce your vacuuming frequency. With 2 dogs in the house, I run the Roomba once a day, it learned my 2300 sqft home terrain and not miss a spot. Very impressive. I get a full bucket load EVERY DAY. Clean up is not bad either. With the addition of the Roomba, my house is able to cut down to Vacuuming only once a week with our Dyson. Not bad at all.

Here's a video of my Roomba in action, also my dogs are featured.

Whole Wheat Apple Cinnamon Bread Recipe

If you are concerned about preservatives or just love the smell of fresh bread baking here is a recipe for you. I use a bread machine and it makes a medium/small loaf.  Depending on your bread machine you may be able to double the recipe, but I would suggest making it the way it is first to make sure your machine is going to be large enough.

2/3cup applesauce

1 cup almond milk (I use almond breeze the original, and I have used soy milk and its turned out great. I suspect it would be fine with regular milk too)

2.5 cups whole wheat flour

1tsp cinnamon

2tbsp brown sugar

1tsp salt

1tbs Earth Balance (smart balance or what ever healthy butter substitute you use will suffice)

1.5 tsp dry yeast

Optional- Apple chunks.  I will take half an apple or one apple depending on the apple's size and dice and put in bread machine with all the other ingredients.

machine note-Dump all the ingredients in, I never worry about what goes in first and start the machine on its regular mode.  I would NOT suggest using this one on a delayed timer or rapid cycle.


photo credit: nessguide

Do you really know how to peel a Banana?

I thought I always knew how to, it's interesting how we - the superior ones need to learn how to eat bananas from the monkeys :)

Product Review: 3M Filtrete

If you have allergies, make sure you change your AC filter monthly, especially if you have pets at home. Years ago when I was bachelor, AC filter was the last thing on my list, it's amazing how marriage can change a guy :) Never use the el cheapo blue wire filter, its cheap and nasty, invest in a good one like the 3M Filtrete. With 2 dogs in my house and living in Florida, the AC runs constantly and a good quality filter is needed. Every month when I change out the filter and compare it to last months? I can tell the difference by the color. Do yourself a favor, change that filter, if you don't? It's going into your lungs.

Power Smoothie, Boost your Immune System

Do you have a good blender?  Have you been putting it to good use?

One of the simplest and most enjoyable beverages can also be very good for you (if you are putting in the right things) and a very enjoyable summer treat.  The benefit of blending is that you get the whole food; all the fiber and nutrients in a broken down form.  Because of being broken down it makes it easy for the body to finish breaking it down and for the body to absorb all the nutrients.

There are many different ways you can make a smoothie, but ill share with you what I put in mine.  This simple smoothie is low in calories and high in nutrients, great for boosting the immune system and help eliminating some extra calories if replacing a meal.

2 cups mixed frozen fruit (I usually buy a mixed bag, warning- Black Berries & Raspberries have seeds and will make it gritty)

1 Ripe Banana (the more brown spots the better, this makes it sweeter)

2 Handfuls of spinach fresh or frozen

Water to blend or sometimes Almond milk (water keeps it even lower in calories)

The reason for the spinach is to increase the amount of nutrients I am consuming and I find it keeps me from being hungry longer.  Because of the nice ripe banana you can't taste the spinach although it does make it a funky color.  If color bothers you put a lid on it and you wont even notice =) If your blender is not amazing place the spinach and water in first to blend then add the fruit.  Fruit chunks are fine, but who wants green chunks!  If you are going to be making a lot of smoothies you may want to invest in a high powered blender such as a Vita-mix, BlendTec, or some other industrial blender.  I've found it to be totally worth the investment!


photo credit: tiffanywashko

Pancreatic Cancer and Animal Fat

This week I came across an research article that has come out from the U.S. National Cancer Institute on the strong association between increased animal fat and dairy products with pancreatic cancer.  I have seen the devastation this disease can bring first hand when I lost my grandfather almost 2 years ago(its the fourth-leading cause of cancer death in the US).  Health Day stated, "Men who consumed the most fat from animal sources had a 53 percent increased risk of developing pancreatic cancer and women had a 23 percent increased risk, compared with men and women who ate the least fat."  Above and beyond that they noted that an increased level of saturated fat increased risk of pancreatic cancer by 36%.

The Journal of the American Medical Association has toted that being over weight in your 30s was associated with a 60 percent increased risk for pancreatic cancer, and being obese was associated with a twofold to threefold higher risk.

In short, you may want to evaluate the amount of meat and dairy you consume(remembering that 2% milk is actually 35% fat) Make sure you are getting lots of fresh vegetables and fruit which are so important to maintaining a healthy weight and disease prevention. photo credit: VirtualErn

Mental Acuity, Keep the Thinker working and Avoid Alzheimer’s

Lifestyle can make a huge difference in maintaining brain functions such as memory, learning, judgment, and mental acuity.  Here are a few things according to Mayo Clinic, Andrews University, and Web MD that are beneficial in prevention of Alzheimers's Disease.

1. Control your stress, stress makes it difficult to remember things and to create memory files for new information.

2. Get your sleep! A habitual loss of 1-2 hours of sleep per night can impare brain function.

3. lower if high or maintain your blood pressure, cholesterol and glucose(blood sugars) in a healthy range

4. Keep your mind active through reading, word games such as crosswords or sudoku, staying up on current events, and engaging in conversations with the sharing of ideas.

5. Exercise, Exercise, Exercise!!

6. Maintain and grow healthy interpersonal relationships. This keeps the mind occupied in a healthy way.

7. Maintaining a healthy weight and getting a variety of vegetables, fruits, beans, whole grains, omega-3 rich nuts and seeds.

A few other factors which can cause memory problems are ongoing depression, use of certain prescription drugs, chronic pain, and a deficiency of vitamin B12 in the elderly.

Product Review: "All" Free and Clear Liquid Detergent

Couple of years ago I had 2 anaphylactic shock, the first one was not so bad, my throat swelled up so much that I had to go to the ER for an epi cocktail shot to open up the airway. The second shock was severe, my face swelled up so bad that I was not able to see, I was barely breathing.

So ever since then, my home have changed quite a bit to accommodate my life threatening allergic reaction. One of the biggest change was laundry detergent. Thanks to my wife, she did her research and was able to find a detergent that will not trigger an attack for me. This detergent have no smell, it's gentle for the skin and does not aggravate my skin. Thumbs up!

Spice it up with Oregano and benefit your health!

Usually we think of Oregano just as a spice that makes our food taste better.  But the herb actually has some health benefits it’s a source of: iron, manganese, dietary fiber, calcium, vitamin C, beta-carotene, omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin K.  In fact 2 tsp of oregano is just over 20% DV of vitamin K.  Having adequate amounts of vitamin K allows your blood to clot normally and helps protect against osteoporosis.

photo credit: thomas pix

The Power of Fennel

Just recently I have been trying to experiment with other vegetables and Fennel has been the latest.  Fennel is known for being great in Mediterranean cuisine.  I am still playing around with recipes and getting the hang of preparing it(I love the taste!).  When I feel like I have it mastered Ill be sure to send some recipes along!

Fennel is a great source of calcium, dietary fiber, potassium and manganese while adding a crunchy and slightly sweet flavor.

How to choose fennel
Select fennel with firm, crisp, pale bulbs with feathery fresh leaves. Refrigerate and use within 4-5 days.
photo credit: kevindooley