Enhancing Energy
Are you barely dragging yourself around? Maybe your lack of energy shows in just coming home at the end of the day and finding it hard to get off the sofa. It’s hard to cope with life when your energy is running low. Vitamins and supplements may be able to help give you back some of your sparkle by making sure your body gets the nutritional support it needs and ensuring that oxygen is carried efficiently throughout the bloodstream. Lynn Laboranti, our Wellness Expert, answered some questions about getting the bounce in your step back.
A Guide to the B Vitamins
There are so many B vitamins it can be easy to forget what each one is for. We have put together a friendly little guide to let you know what each B vitamin does for you and why they are essential to ensuring your health and energy level.
Vitamins For Healthy Traveling
The exciting experiences of travel--new environments, new foods, new time zones --are also what make it so taxing on the human body. Whether it’s a nagging cough, fatigue or an upset stomach, we’ve all been under the weather as a result of traveling.
Guide to Drug and Supplement Interactions
Do you combine medications, either over-the-counter or prescription, with dietary supplements? Findings from a national survey (National Health Interview Survey) released in 2004 reveal that most people (55%) use alternative therapies in combination with conventional medicines in hopes of improving their health. There are various reasons why people choose supplements: to help fill nutrient gaps in their diets; as preventatives to chronic conditions associated with aging; or for therapeutic purposes such as joint health.
Colors that Make Up Your Diet, Part 3: Yellow/Orange
You have probably heard of beta-carotene. It’s a carotenoid and the nutrient responsible for the yellow and orange colors in foods. Beta-carotene is the reason we grew up hearing that carrots were good for our eyes, converting to vitamin A in the body.
Lowering Your Cholesterol Naturally
We spoke with Dr. Alex Tan to get his advice about Lowering Cholesterol Naturally. Dr. Tan is a naturopathic medical doctor (ND) currently serving patients in the San Francisco Bay Area. He works as a primary care doctor at the Noe Valley Clinic, a progressive clinic where ND’s, MD’s and other health care providers come together to collaborate on patient care.
Lowering Cholesterol Naturally Doesn’t Have to be Hard
What can you do to lower your cholesterol? A lot, it turns out. While our gender, age and genetics may be three determining factors we can’t control, we can do a lot about our diets, body weight, level of physical activity and smoking. Learn how to lower cholesterol with these helpful tips.
Starting or Updating Your Vitamin Regimen
Making the decision to lead a healthier lifestyle is fairly easy, but putting it into practice on a daily basis is more difficult. Busy lifestyles often interfere with efforts to eat a more balanced, healthier diet. Have you ever tried to eat 5-6 servings of fresh fruits and vegetables everyday? It’s no secret that most Americans don’t follow the guidelines set by the food guide pyramid. Fortunately, supplements are there to fill in the nutritional gaps.
Timing Your Vitamins
Taking vitamins is an important way to boost your nutritional intake. The timing of when we take vitamins, though, can be as vital as the fact that we take them. To ensure that we get the most out of vitamins and supplements when is the best time to take them? We asked Melissa Dorval, RD, to help us understand when the best time is to take vitamins and supplements.
Wellness Tips
For Optimal Health: Carroll Reider, M.S., R.D. suggests everyone add vibrant hues to the dinner plate like steamed carrots, peppers, and red cabbage. “Eating a variety of fruits and vegetables will help maximize nutrient intake and many provide essential antioxidants,” Reider said. “It’s even better to take a multivitamin with your dinner to better absorb the nutrients and ensure you are getting all the vitamins and minerals you need.”
Beat the Winter Blues
For many, winter is not always a wonderland. As skies gray and temperatures drop, moods often drift into doldrums. In fact, according to the American Academy of Family Physicians, up to 20 percent of Americans experience some form of winter blues.
Elevating Mood
Feeling blue? As the long winter months loom ahead, the Wellness Advisor has some advice which may help brighten your mood. Here are some tips which may help you feel a bit sunnier.
Food and Mood
Can what you eat affect your mood? There is no doubt that food can have an effect on our emotions. Food can make us feel good, guilty, and even disappointed. And, the saying “you are what you eat” does hold some truth. Some people may feel more energized on a low-fat, high-carbohydrate diet, while others feel lethargic and tired, and some may need to limit carbs and beef up their protein intake. How often you eat and how much can also affect how you feel. Basically, your dietary habits can affect how your brain functions and, in turn, determine your mood.
Healthy Holiday Survival
Parties, gifts and chocolate Santas--the temptations of the holidays can be hard to resist. Although too much alcohol, too much rich food and too little sleep can be very hard on your body, some extra vitamins and supplements may help ease the effects of over indulgence this holiday season. Remember to pace yourself, get enough sleep, and drink alcohol only moderately - but drink water plentifully- to make it through this time of good cheer with ease.
Natural Remedies to Maintain a Healthy Mood
The idea that you can impact a healthy mood or positive emotions is powerful. As a Psychiatrist and certified life coach, patients always ask me about natural ways to maintain a healthy mood. With all of life’s obligations and hectic schedules, it’s easy to get pulled in multiple directions feeling time-pressured, overwhelmed and stressed-out. Instead of feeling helpless, recognize your current emotional state and take effective action to promote a good mood naturally.
The 12 Month Pregnancy
The responsibilities of parenthood are multifaceted, and begin even before your little bundle of joy arrives. The Wellness Advisor has outlined how to help take care of yourself before, during, and post-pregnancy so that you and your baby can get the healthy start and energy you need.