The March issue of the Personal Best health and wellness newsletter is now online.Fruits and vegetables in bright hues of red, green, orange and purple are rich in compounds beneficial to health and add color to your plate. They help fight disease by reducing the formation of free radicals -- molecules that cause oxygen-induced cellular damage. Cooking with color talks about how to include more colors in the daily diet.
The Wellness Center’s Colorful Choices incentive program is a simple nutrition program aimed at consuming a minimum of five fruits and vegetables across the five color groups each day. Read more about the program on the Wellness Center's Web page.
Health decisions parents make for their children now can determine whether their kids will avoid diabetes, heart disease, stroke and other disabling conditions prematurely. Studies show such adult afflictions can begin very early. Plaque starts forming on blood vessels in the first few years of life, with damage evident in the coronary arteries by age 10. Helping Kids Live Long and Well has advice on how to introduce and reinforce good eating and exercise habits.
Are you are eating too much? Volume Control has some ideas on how to control how much food you consume. Being physically active is easier than most people think and this month’s Fitness article outlines a three-step fitness plan to get started.
If trying to quit smoking, the Lifestyle File answers some common questions for kicking tobacco use, such as how to fight the urge to smoke and avoiding alcohol. The Employee Assistance Program (EAP) has a smoking cessation program. For more information about the program, or for free brochures on quitting smoking, contact EAP at 7-7339.
Heartburn occurs when stomach juices flow upward into the esophagus, the tube that connects the stomach and mouth. Because heartburn is a common digestive problem, many remedies are available over the counter. Practical Heartburn Relief. has some suggestions for reducing or preventing heartburn.
National Poison Prevention Week was March 20 to 26. Home is the likeliest place a child will be exposed to potentially poisonous substances, such as medicines and household products. Children Act Fast … So Do Poisons! provides some tips on what to do if you think a child has swallowed a harmful substance.
The recipe of the month is Omega-3 Salad.
Also in this issue: Results of raising speed limits; “fresh squeezed” juice risk; transient ischemic attacks; work relationships; STDs; calcium for health; mental health treatment; antioxidant supplements; domestic abuse; omega-3 fatty acids; yogurt; long-distance care; and emphysema.
Personal Best is published by Scott Publishing in Edmonds, Wash., and is part of the Lab's Positive Health Directions program in Occupational Medicine (HSR-2) and Benefits and Employment Services (HR-B).