Month: February 2016

Categories
Lifestyle

The Hidden Dangers Of Laser Pointers

Ben Armitage, an optometrist in Hobart, Australia, was recently confronted with a 14-year-old patient who had shined a laser pointer directly into his eyes for only a brief period of time. Despite the brevity of the occurrence, the boy’s vision was decreased by 75 percent. “The laser burns are basically areas where he’s not going to be able to see ever again,” said Armitage.
Sure, it’s fun to make your pet chase laser beams, but beware: The more powerful the laser, the more damage it can do. Lasers can pop a balloon, light a match, cut through plastic, ignite steel wool, or even, as in the case above, cause immediate and permanent blindness.
The word laser is actually an acronym for Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation. Ordinary light is made up of many different colors. Laser light is made up of just a single color. Because it’s amplified, laser light is focused and extremely bright. And it comes in a variety of colors and powers.
Laser power is measured in milliwatts (mW), and those that put out less than 5 mW are generally considered safe. Our eyes have a built-in blink reflex that makes us close our eyes or turn our head away when we’re exposed to a bright light. That reflex typically happens in a quarter of a second, which is fast enough to minimize any damage the light might do. But we can override that reflex by deliberately shining a laser directly into the eye. When that happens, the laser can burn a hole in the retina. Lasers that put out more than 5 mW of power are especially dangerous, because they can start burning the retina before the blink reflex kicks in.
Color plays an important role as well. Our eyes are naturally more sensitive to red light than to blue or violet, so while we might turn away from a 5 mW red laser, we might not turn away from the same power blue or violet one. Our eyes are even more sensitive to green light than to red, but green lasers also emit radiation that we can’t see, which makes green lasers even more dangerous than red ones.
Unless you’re using a laser for some kind of industrial purpose, there’s no reason for you to have one that’s any more powerful than 5 mW. In fact, the FDA has proposed a ban on handheld lasers (such as laser pointers) over that threshold. However, it’s still extremely easy to get lasers 10 or 100 or more times more powerful on the internet (and no, we aren’t going to tell you where).
So here’s the bottom line: Lasers are not toys, even if they’re rated at 5 mW or fewer. Never, ever shine one at anyone else or directly into your eye (that includes bouncing the light off of a mirror or shiny surface into your eye). And never allow a child to play with a laser. Theoretically, it should be easy to tell whether a laser’s power is low enough that you can use it safely. Unfortunately, in one of the few examples of products over-delivering on the promises made on their label, the ratings on laser devices routinely underestimate their actual power. Often by a lot.
If a laser pointer runs on tiny, button batteries, it’s probably okay. However, the pointer you’re considering may be stronger than 5 mW if it runs on AA or AAA batteries, or if it claims to be “military grade,” “powerful,” or advertises a range of several miles.

Categories
Nosh

12 Ways To Cut Calories While Eating Out

When dieting or trying to stick to a certain amount of calories one thing people often do is stop going out to eat. I’m here to tell you that you don’t have to stop going out to eat to hit your calorie goals. Just follow these 12 tips, and you’ll be on your way to cutting calories and hitting your goals.

1. If you’re eating at dinner time, ask for the lunch portion (if available) to instantly cut your calories and save yourself some money too!

2. When you order your meal ask the server for a to-go container so you can immediately box up a portion of your food when it arrives at the table.

3. When ordering ask for your food to be grilled or baked instead of sautéed or fried to cut back on the fat that is added to your meal in the cooking process. 

4. When ordering a meal that has salad dressing, sauces, or gravies, ask for them to come on the side so you have control over how many calories you add to the dish.

5. When ordering vegetables, ask how they are cooked. You might think ordering vegetables is the best option, but your veggies may be cooked in butter or oil, adding a possible 100+ calories to your side dish. 

6. Opt for meat that isn’t breaded. You’ll still get a great flavored dish with fewer calories.

7. Split a meal with a friend or spouse. Eating out can be a great social event. Don’t be afraid to ask your server to split the dish between two plates for easier sharing. 

8. Order double vegetables instead of a vegetable and a starch (such as pasta, bread, rice, potatoes, corn, or peas). Non-starchy vegetables are higher in fiber and lower in calories than starches, and substituting for double veggies is an easy way to slash calories (but don’t forget to ask how they are cooked!)

9. Don’t drink your calories. Opt for water instead of calorie-dense drinks like soda or sweet tea. If you are going to drink alcohol, avoid drinks like daiquiris and those that use pre-made mixes that are full of added sugar.

10. If you know you are going to a restaurant that typically serves bread before the entrées arrive, ask the server if they can skip bringing the bread to your table so you’re not tempted to eat it.

11. Choose leaner cuts of meat (white meat instead of dark meat, sirloin instead of ribeyes, etc).

12. Choose vegetarian/vegan dishes when available. Vegetarian/vegan dishes will most likely have vegetables and beans as their main components, which are high in fiber and pack a bunch of protein too. This way you won’t have to worry about the extra fat from the meat or having to ask for a leaner cut of meat. 

There you have it! Now there’s no reason not to go out to eat because you fear going over your allotted calories. Just follow my tips for an enjoyable and reduced-calorie meal experience.

Categories
Nosh

How To Break The Cycle Of Using Food As A Reward

Had a bad day? Eat some chocolate. A child falls down on the driveway while running after a ball? Here’s a lollipop to make her feel better. No matter what the scenario, using food as a reward is a bad idea when it comes to weight loss and beyond. If you struggle with wanting to have food as a reward, here are some things to consider before eating a piece of chocolate after a long, hard day.

Food is a universal need that crosses gender, racial, and socioeconomic lines. Everyone needs food to survive. Back in the ancient days before food was easy to purchase, people had to work for their food. They toiled in the fields, foraged for food, and stored food for lean times.

Now that food is readily available to us 24 hours a day and we don’t even have to leave our homes to get it–think pizza delivery–food has taken on a role beyond fuel.

Food is the center of most social events, from weddings to funerals, and serves as a companion during television and movie viewings. Chocolate always seems to make you feel better after a tough day.

I get all of that.

The problem is that using food as a reward is the absolute last thing you should be doing when you are losing weight.

Food is not a reward. Food is fuel.

Why Do You Want Food as a Reward?

That’s the question, isn’t it? What about food makes you feel good?

There is a multitude of answers to that question, but here are some of the most common reasons I’ve found for why people use food as a reward. See if any fit you.

– It reminds you of your childhood when mom took care of you and gave you food after a hard breakup or a skinned knee.

– Food doesn’t judge. That chocolate bar won’t talk back to you or judge you. It just seems to soothe you and make you feel better as you eat bite after bite.

– You like the way food makes you feel. When you eat, your body releases dopamine, which “acts on the reward circuitry” in your brain, according to an article in “Psychology Today.” 

– Food is easily found. It’s easy to stop by the corner store and pick up a candy bar or buy a few donuts from the donut store.

Once you know why you might be using food as a reward, the next step is to identify situations when you are rewarding yourself with food.

Do you reward with food when…

– Things have been hard at home or work?

– You feel physically tired?

– You’ve been sick or injured?

– You are celebrating?

– You’ve reached a goal or completed a task?

The Solution

Reversing your habit of using food as a reward is pretty simple, but does require you to really pay attention to how you are using food and when food serves as a reward.

The next time one of the situations occurs when you would normally reward yourself with food, stop and ask yourself what you are doing. When you are losing weight, the last thing you want to do is eat fattening food for no reason at all.

Remind yourself of your goals and how many calories are in the food you are about to eat. Then find another way to reward yourself for a job well done or a hard day. Some terrific ways to reward yourself without food are to spend a special evening with friends, get your hair or nails done, go to a ballgame, talk a walk outdoors, or spend some quality alone time.

After a while, you will break the cycle of using food as a reward and rely on food as fuel for your busy life.

Categories
Conscious Beauty Lifestyle

Kiss Your Dry, Chapped Lips Goodbye With These Simple Remedies

Chapped lips happen. They’re annoying at best, painful at worst. And sure, a heavy-duty lip balm helps, but that soothing is just temporary. You need to address the cause of the problem. Here’s how to do it with ingredients that may already be sitting in your kitchen.

Reasons for Cracked and Dry Lips

First off, you should understand why chapped lips happen. And some of these reasons may surprise you.
Dehydration
Our lips don’t contain oil glands like the rest of our skin, so one of the most common reasons we will experience dry or cracked skin on our lips is dehydration. You don’t have to be dying of thirst to be dehydrated, either. Dehydration can occur if you don’t drink enough water (remember–you may not be thirsty, but water is still very important). Drinking lattes or sodas won’t do much good when it comes to your skin since caffeine is a major culprit in dehydration. The general rule is 8×8 (eight 8-ounce glasses per day).
Licking Your Lips
Trying to alleviate the problem naturally may actually be making it worse. Lips that are already dry can become worse with frequent licking, as the saliva evaporates and takes the moisture in our lips along with it. Biting and chewing your lips can also have the same effect, so try and kick that habit to the curb if it applies to you.
Winter Weather and Indoor Heating
Winter can be cold and windy, which can zap moisture from your skin, including your lips. When you’re outside, be sure to use a thick lip balm to keep the moisture in your lips. Avoid ingredients like salicylic acid that can dry skin out even more (often found in “medicated lip balm”). Look for nourishing ingredients like shea butter, coconut oil, jojoba oil, sunflower oil, cocoa butter, Vitamin E, olive oil, honey, beeswax, or lanolin. Your indoor heating may also be keeping the air in your home dry. If you’re using the heater often, try using a humidifier to keep moisture in the air.
Toothpaste
Many toothpaste brands contain sodium lauryl sulfate, an ingredient that is known to cause excessive dryness and chapping of the lips. If your toothpaste has this ingredient or other synthetic ingredients, switch to a new brand. You should check any other products you apply near your mouth while you’re at it, as many contain dehydrating alcohols, which also contribute to chapped skin.
Medications or Vitamin Deficiencies
Some medications can cause dry lips. Prescription drugs for acne, high blood pressure, and nausea may cause dryness. A vitamin deficiency could also be the culprit. A lack of zinc, B vitamins, vitamin A, or iron could increase dryness of the lips. If you think your dry lips are caused by a medication or vitamin deficiency, talk to your doctor.

Home Remedies for Chapped and Dry Lips

Honey
An easy, one-ingredient home remedy that tastes sweet and leaves your lips soft is honey! Apply a small amount of pure honey on your lips a few times a day, and it should begin to soften the skin and make it less brittle. Manuka honey from New Zealand is pricey but can be even more effective because of its increased antibacterial properties (which is helpful when your lips are cracked and bleeding).
Coconut Oil
Everyone loves coconut oil! It’s a multipurpose home and beauty product that you can use for lips, skin, hair, and cuticles. Aside from being a killer makeup remover, it’s a natural moisturizer that can help heal dry and chapped lips, especially those caused by cold weather. Olive oil, sunflower oil, or jojoba oil can also be used, but many people prefer the flavor of coconut oil. Remember to use just a fingertip’s worth.
Sugar Scrub
If your lips are covered with dry, dead skin (but not bleeding), try a simple sugar scrub to make them soft and supple again. Simply mix a small amount of sugar with a teaspoon of olive, jojoba, or coconut oil. Apply directly to your lips, leave it on for a few minutes, and then gently scrub. You can also purchase a lip scrub from the store, but make sure to choose one without fragrances, citrus essential oils, or anything that will irritate your sensitive skin.
Chapped, Red, Dry, or Scaly Lips
If none of these home remedies work for you, you’re staying hydrated, and you aren’t using any products that could contribute to the problem, consider consulting your primary care physician. They may be able to find an underlying cause of your excessively dry or chapped lips and offer additional remedies to restore your lips to their soft and natural glory.

Categories
Nosh

Cracking The Egg Carton Code: Date Codes Explained

Ever wondered if supermarket eggs were so old they’d become a breeding ground for salmonella? After all, you can’t tell an egg’s age by looking at it. And the numbers printed on the carton seem to require a Cold War code-breaker. But that’s where you’ll find the answers; fortunately, you don’t need a mathematics degree to understand them.
Eggs coming from plants producing U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)-graded eggs must display the date they were packed, a three digit code called the Julian date. The Julian date indicates how long ago the eggs were packaged. Reading the three-digit code is a bit tricky with January 1 reflected as 001 and December 31 as 365. This is the most useful date on the carton of eggs.
The FDA gives farmers 30 days to place an egg in a carton and then another 30 days to sell that egg after it’s been placed in a carton. That means it’s possible to purchase eggs at the supermarket that are 60 days old!
Many cartons of eggs have a “sell-by” or “use-by” date. It’s important to understand that these dates are not required by the federal government. The guidelines for dates on a carton of eggs vary from state to state. And some states have no guidelines at all.
The use of code dates on USDA-graded eggs is optional; however, if they are used, certain rules must be followed.
– A “Sell-By” date tells the store how long to display the product for sale. Expiration dates can be no more than 30 days from the day the eggs were packed in the carton.
– A “Best if Used By (or Before)” date is recommended for best flavor or quality. It is not a purchase or safety date. This may not exceed 45 days past the pack date.
– A “Use-By” date is the last date recommended for the use of the product. This may not exceed 45 days past the pack date.
– “EXP” Expiration dates can be no more than 30 days from the day the eggs were packed into the carton.
You can store fresh shell eggs in their cartons in the refrigerator for 3-5 weeks beyond the date you purchase them. The “sell-by” date will usually expire during that time, but according to the USDA the eggs are perfectly safe to use.
Before buying your next carton of eggs look at the dates stamped on the carton and try to gain an understanding of how long those eggs have been sitting in their carton. It’s entirely possible that the eggs you’re reaching for at the supermarket aren’t fresh. That doesn’t mean you can’t eat them. Provided they’ve been refrigerated within the time frames mentioned above they are safe to eat.
Are you ready for fresh eggs? Try purchasing eggs through a CSA or maybe it’s time to invest in backyard chickens!
Did you know: Hens with white feathers and earlobes lay white-shelled eggs, and hens with red feathers and earlobes lay brown eggs. And there’s no nutritional difference between the eggs.

Categories
Wellbeing

What Barbie's Makeover Means For The Future Of Body Image

By the time I was 5 years old, I had collected a huge stash of Barbie dolls. Each of these dolls also had an extensive wardrobe, endless accessories, and an array of job uniforms. Barbie was a career woman, after all–and I loved to imagine that I could be that fabulous, that pretty, and that pulled together.

However, as we’ve all come to know, Barbie didn’t look anything like me. Barbie had a tiny waist and major curves–proportions that were unrealistic to a chubby little girl like me, so stepping into her pink heels always took a bit of imagination. Ultimately, I may never know the effect this difference had on my self-image.

Last week, Mattel announced that Barbie was getting a makeover; the iconic doll’s line will soon expand to include seven new skin tones and three new body types (curvy, tall, and petite). This change was met with a wave of criticism amidst a crowd of cheers–but for me, it was met with a smile.

I can’t honestly say how playing with Barbie affected me. Today, I’d easily be considered a glamour girl with an extensive closet and a real career. I also have my fair share of body image issues, much like most other women, some of which likely took root about the same time I was playing with Barbie.

In 2006, researchers at the University of Sussex studied the effects of Barbie’s body type on 5- to 8-year-old girls. While the older girls seemed more or less immune to the dolls’ immediate impacts, the youngest girls were more negative about their bodies and had a greater desire to be thinner after playing with the toys.

I don’t look like Barbie. I also don’t look like a model on a runway or a celebrity on a red carpet. But extensive research has shown us that toys, media, and other images all play a role in the development of self-esteem, and we need to watch what messages kids are absorbing.

For a Time piece about the new dolls, writer Eliana Dockterman was allowed to watch a focus group of young girls (around age 6) play with the curvy dolls. The result? Horrifying. There was mocking, there was laughing, there was a chorus of the word “fat.” And these girls are barely reading and writing. Yet they know “curvy” Barbie is purported to be less desirable than the thin and svelte images plastered across the media.

I doubt anyone can understand exactly why 6-year-old girls would behave this way. But it’s exactly why we need more changes in the realm of body image. We need more images of women coming in all sizes. We need to celebrate high-profile women for their accomplishments, not their shapes. We need to embrace different features as beautiful and accept ourselves as we are–when we’re 6, 16, 26, and beyond.

I wasn’t consciously aware of my own body image issues until I was in my twenties. But I was acutely aware of the fact that my body wasn’t perfect, and I wasn’t satisfied with it from a very young age. When I was young, I had baby fat. I felt chubby and alienated. When I was older and lost that roundness, it was replaced with thick muscle, which wasn’t much better in my mind. I was never “skinny” until college–and then I was too skinny.

The cookie-cutter perfection Barbie always seemed to embody forever eluded me. And that’s why we should thank Mattel for this small change. It won’t rock the culture, and most of us will forget about it in a week or two. But the impact might be valuable, if immeasurable. Barbie’s makeover is a slow step in combating the pervasive cultural message that beauty is singular.

Let’s never forget that little girls absorb messages at a rapid pace, from absolutely everywhere. Looking back, I know I did. And we shouldn’t discount the psychological impact of a doll’s appearance on a girl’s body image as she grows; playtime is the space in which her mind grows, attaching to ideas that are both uplifting and detrimental.

Altering that girl’s view of the female body as diverse, purposeful, and worth celebrating must come through small changes–even changing the look of a doll we’ve known and loved for 50 years. 

So, three cheers for 23 new Barbies representing endless forms of beauty. It’s about time.

Categories
Sweat

Running Cold: How Weather Affects Your Performance

If you’re one of those brave souls who continues to run outside during the winter months, you’ve probably wondered just how much the cold conditions affect your workouts. Not surprisingly, the colder weather will indeed have an effect on your body, but just how dramatically it changes your performance depends on a variety of factors. Here are some ways that running in the cold will have an effect on your training.

Performance drops with the temperature,

Colder weather will definitely have an impact on your performance, but surprisingly that drop off begins at about 50 degrees rather than the frigid temps that you would expect during the winter. That said, the drop in performance isn’t really all that noticeable until the mercury falls below freezing. Once the air temperatures hit 32 degrees or below, there is a slow but steady drop off in speed because cold muscles simply can’t perform at the same level that they do when they are warmer. The colder temps will also slow down the nervous system, causing fewer muscle contractions in your legs, which ultimately reduces your pace, slowing you down noticeably.

Carb up for a cold-weather run.

The cold conditions will have other effects on your body as well. For instance, when you run in warm conditions your body taps into its fat stores for energy, but in the cold it’ll burn carbohydrates at a much higher rate instead. This can have a dramatic impact on performance since carbs are used up much more quickly, leaving you with low energy reserves to get you through the remainder of your workout.
Another side effect that comes from burning carbs at such a high rate is that it also increases the amount of lactic acid that is produced in your muscles. Excessive lactic acid will have a detrimental effect on your speed too, bringing performance down even further.

Cold air is hard to breathe.

Let’s face it, running is a demanding aerobic activity. When you’re moving at higher speeds, or climbing steep hills, it can sometimes be difficult to catch your breath. This is especially true in the winter when you’re also breathing in colder air. The blend of physical exertion and frosty temperatures can often put a real strain on the lungs, making it even more difficult for your cardiovascular system to operate efficiently. This can result in a drop off in performance as your body struggles to get enough oxygen into its system when you try to push yourself harder.

Longer Warm-Ups

Ask any runner and they will probably tell you that the first mile is always the hardest. Even under the best of conditions, it can take your body some time to warm up and begin working at peak efficiency. That’s why that first mile can be so rough, but the ones that follow tend to get a bit easier. During the winter that warm-up time can take a little longer because of the cold conditions, however, as your muscles will simply be more sluggish.

More Calories Burned

One of the side benefits of running outside in colder weather is that you’ll burn more calories while you’re doing it. Your body has to work hard to keep its core temperature at normal levels during the winter, which is why it is common for us to start shivering as the mercury takes a plunge. That is one method that your body uses to generate more heat and in doing so also uses more calories than normal.

The Cold has an effect on your shoes too!

Cold weather won’t just have an impact on your body, it will take its toll on your running shoes too. Most modern athletic footwear uses synthetic foam known as ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA) as a cushion to provide support against impact when working out. But as the temperature drops, EVA can harden, lessening its effectiveness as a shock absorber. Once it warms back up, its regular properties return, but if you’re running in temperatures that fall below freezing you may find that your legs are taking more of a pounding because your shoes can’t perform up to their usual standards.
It should be noted that taken individually, most of the effects of cold weather aren’t necessarily all that noticeable. But, when each of them comes into play they can have enough of an impact to bring your running performance down. About the only thing you can do is accept that it is simply something that happens during the winter and not get down on yourself because you aren’t running as well as you normally would. One the weather starts to warm up, your performance will too.

Categories
Nosh

The Broke Person's Guide To Eating Clean

The benefits of eating clean are numerous, from a slim and trim waistline to renewed energy and a clear head. But for many looking to embark on a cleaner diet, the cost can be a downside. A diet rich in whole, organic food can be expensive. But with a few insider tips, you can have your vegan, organic, gluten-free cake and eat it too. Here are some tips for eating clean on a budget.

Think Seasonal and Local

Eating with the seasons and buying local is a trick that seasoned chefs have used for years to save money on the monthly food budget for their restaurants.
For example, in the fall, it’s much less expensive to enjoy pumpkins, cranberries, and apples when they are at their peak and farms have an overabundance of them than it is to choose avocados, tomatoes, or peaches that are expensive and out of season.
Hit the farmers market weekly and load up on the best of the local bounty, or subscribe to a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) plan and support your local farmers by purchasing a share of the harvest at the beginning of each season.
Each week you’ll get a box full of what farmers are growing, and you can plan your menu accordingly. This will also allow you to get to know the farmer who grows the food you are considering buying and learn about how it’s grown. For example, you can ask the farmer what kind of chemicals they use on their crops for pest control. Or you can ask the rancher if the animal you are about to buy was given hormones or antibiotics and how it was raised.
Local and seasonal foods usually pack a bigger flavor punch too! A tomato caprese salad made with a hard tomato harvested in December is tasteless, especially when compared with the sweet summer tomatoes that are harvested in their prime.

Don’t Fear Frozen Foods

If you’re a huge fan of a morning smoothie, frozen mango, strawberries, and blueberries are frequently just as tasty as fresh, especially out of season. Fruits and vegetables are often frozen at the peak of freshness so you won’t be sacrificing flavor.
And they can be much more affordable too. Sometimes I’ll get a craving for a pea pasta with greens in the dead of winter, so I’ll use frozen organic peas (that really taste delicious), toss them with some greens, whole wheat pasta, and a little olive oil, salt, and pepper and that’s dinner! Oh and skipping the meat will quickly save you money too.

Always Shop With a List

Don’t ever hit the grocery store without a list because you’ll end up blowing a bunch of cash without knowing what you’re having for dinner that week. Even worse is going to the grocery store when you’re hungry too.
When I’m creating my shopping list, I choose at least three dinner meals that I’ll make that week with enough for leftovers (so I don’t have to cook from scratch every night of the week, and we usually go out to dinner once per week). After picking out recipes, I write out all the ingredients that are necessary for each recipe.
When I shop, if I see a similar ingredient to what’s on my list that’s less expensive or on sale, I’ll substitute it into my recipe.

Get the Most Bang for Your Buck

The foundation of my clean diet includes a number of less expensive staples. Cabbage, for example, may not be a glamorous vegetable, but it’s relatively inexpensive, versatile, and it lasts a long time in the refrigerator.
In fact, I love to make salads with heartier leaves like cabbage, kale, collard greens, or Swiss chard because they hold up as leftovers in the fridge for a couple of days, unlike lettuces that are delicate (they’re perfect for Mason jar salads too!) Bananas, kale, sweet potatoes, cauliflower, legumes, and grains are all less expensive items that can be used in a laundry list of delicious healthy recipes.

Reduce Your Intake of Animal Products

Animal products are often the most expensive items on any grocery list. That’s why it can be advantageous to build a diet that either excludes these foods completely or severely limits them. Make dairy a condiment instead of the main course, and if you’re going to eat meat, limit it to special occasions.
Plant-based protein sources such as beans, legumes, tofu, tempeh, and seitan are always less expensive than beef, fish, and many types of cheese. Furthermore, if you’re eating clean, you’ll need to buy more costly organic animal products in order to avoid hormones, antibiotics, and any other additives that are given to livestock to get them to market quicker.

Learn to Cook

It’s wonderful that more and more restaurants are beginning to cater to healthy eaters, from vegan and gluten-free to organic and non-GMO offerings. But even still, eating out is way more expensive than cooking at home (and you really don’t know what’s going into your food when you eat out).
Learning to cook is one of the best things you can do for your health because you can control the quality and price of the foods you eat. So buy yourself a clean eating cookbook or choose a few clean eating websites (like that of yours truly) and begin planning your healthy menus weekly. You’ll save cash and at the same take pride in the fact that you’ve cooked your family a healthy and delicious meal.
You don’t have to be rich to eat a clean diet. By planning ahead and making a few simple adjustments, your dollar can go a long way at the grocery store or local farmer’s market.

Categories
Sweat

The Ups And Downs Of Using A Nutritionist To Lose Weight

I saw a nutritionist twice when I was overweight and even though she asked me to, I never went back because I didn’t like her analyzing my diet and finding it lacking. I missed an opportunity to take advantage of her skill and expertise and later regretted my decision to skip my next appointments. If you are thinking about using a nutritionist to help you, here are some upsides and downsides.

Upsides

Individualized Attention
A nutritionist looks just at you and no one else for the hour you spend with her. And for me, that made me uncomfortable and left me feeling guilty because I wasn’t doing what she recommended.
In spite of that potentially uncomfortable feeling, it is definitely an upside to have someone who is interested in your health and your nutritional status and who is invested in your weight loss.
Analyzes Your Health
A nutritionist is qualified to look at your overall health and not just focus on your weight. She will plan your diet based on your medications, whether you suffer from a chronic illness such as diabetes, and take into account how both these affect your weight.
Sometimes Covered by Insurance
Some insurance policies cover visits to a nutritionist. If yours does, take advantage of it and make an appointment. Even if your insurance only covers a small number of visits, the things you learn about food and nutrition can help you long after your appointments are over.
I’m a testament to that. Even though I only visited the nutritionist twice, when I was finally ready to lose weight, I remembered her advice to forget fad diets and focus on eating real foods.
Coordination with Your Primary Care Physician
Your primary care physician and your nutritionist can work hand in hand to give you the best possible chance to lose weight. Not only will they share information but they will also be able to assess whether something either of them is doing is working against your weight loss.
For example, if one of your medications causes weight gain, your nutritionist can consult with your doctor about a medication change.

Downsides

Follows Strictly Prescribed Nutritional Guidelines
If you are heading to a nutritionist in hopes of getting the green light on using HCG injections, ignoring whole food groups, or following a fad diet, you will be disappointed.
Nutritionists as a whole follow established nutritional guidelines. While there are some exceptions, meeting with a nutritionist usually means you will be using a medically approved diet.
Not that that’s bad or anything–to the contrary. But if you want to lose weight using another method, a nutritionist may not be for you.
Can Be Expensive
Nutritionists are not cheap. Even if covered by your insurance, you may be required to pay a copayment or have her fee go toward your deductible. Check with your insurance before committing to a visit.
May Not Understand the Overweight Life
I personally had a problem meeting with a nutritionist who had never been overweight, and I’m not alone. A number of people I’ve talked with find it hard to believe that someone who has never been overweight truly understands the struggles overweight people have with food.
If this describes how you feel, your best option is to be totally upfront with your nutritionist. She may be able to reassure you or even refer you to someone else. In any case, give the meetings a chance before throwing in the towel.
Requires Regular Meetings
While some people may just have a single meeting with a nutritionist, you will likely meet with her several times. I was scheduled to meet once a week to be weighed and discuss my food diary.
Regular meetings can be difficult if your schedule is unpredictable or the cost of the meetings becomes prohibitive.

Categories
Lifestyle

Simple Tips To Make Your Home Energy Efficient

Winter has finally kicked in on the East Coast. With cold temps and some areas getting several feet of snow and more promising to come, it’s important to make sure that our homes are as energy efficient as possible. There are many ways for families to make cost-effective energy upgrades at home. Changes both large and small will ultimately help protect the environment and, in turn, will save you some money. Many of these changes are simple one-time investments, while others are actions you can do every day.

Get an Energy Audit

Bring in a professional to evaluate your home and make energy recommendations. An energy audit inspection will help you determine how you use energy in your home and where you can make improvements. Energy audits are generally free of charge or can be done for a nominal fee.

Windows and Doors

Make sure windows and doors are properly sealed to keep the warm air in and the cold air out. Plug up any leaks that could allow the cold air to get into your home and cause your heating bill to go up.

Make the Switch to LED Bulbs

As your incandescent bulbs burn out, consider replacing them with LED bulbs. Making the switch to LED bulbs could potentially cut general lighting energy use nearly in half by 2030, saving energy dollars and reducing carbon emissions. Quality LEDs have a long lifespan. They have an average life of 30,000 to 50,000 hours or even longer. A typical incandescent lamp lasts about 1,000 hours, and a CFL lasts 8,000 to 10,000 hours.

Install a Programmable Thermostat

A programmable thermostat is a simple way to save some money and improve the energy efficiency in your home. Once installed, you have the ability to program your heat and/or air conditioning to preset temperatures throughout the day.

Add Ceiling Fans

By simply adding ceiling fans to a few rooms throughout your home you can save dramatically and improve the energy efficiency in your home. During the summer months, a ceiling fan creates a cool breeze, which in turn reduces the need for air conditioning. In the winter a ceiling fan (rotating in the opposite direction) circulates the rising warm air, helping to keep the room comfortable.

Our homes are a major source of energy use, which contributes to greenhouse gas emissions. Taking the time to improve the energy efficiency of our homes will enable each of us to save some money and help to reduce our carbon footprint.