Health Series Archives - Page 9 of 29

July 30, 2019

8 Reasons Why Raisins Are the Healthy Snack of the Summer

Summer and healthy eating go together.

Are you sure about that?

It seems like many summer foods end up adding extra calories to our diet, some of them empty. If you’re not sure, go to a summer fair or festival and look at the corn dogs, funnel cakes, and sugary drinks available for your enjoyment.

If you love the higher calorie foods of summer, go ahead and enjoy them but include lots of healthy snacks too!

We have a favorite—raisins.

Check out some of the benefits of raisins. They’re sweet, portable, inexpensive, and good for you. If you’ve not thought of including them in your diet, let us inspire you!

1. A Raisin a Day Keeps the Doctor Away

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2015-2020 suggests eating 2 cups of fresh fruits each day. Fruits provide an excellent source of vitamins and minerals. If you eat dried fruit such as raisins, ½ cup equals 1 cup of fresh fruit.

A daily dose of raisins may reduce your risk for developing certain diseases.

People who regularly eat raisins may enjoy the following health benefits:

Lower Blood Pressure
Lower Cholesterol
Lower Blood Glucose Levels

Raisins may also help you feel full. When you feel full, you’re less likely to overeat. The obvious benefit of feeling full is less risk of obesity.

The lower blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood glucose can decrease your risk of heart disease and diabetes. And you thought it was apples!

2. Get Excited About Fiber

Raisins aren’t only cute, they’re packed full of fiber. Fiber may not seem like something to get excited about, but your digestive system loves it!

The natural fiber found in fruits (and vegetables) is the best gift you can give your digestive tract. Fiber bulks up your stool. If you’re tired of dealing with constipation, or want to avoid it altogether, bulkier stools are the way to go.

Fiber also helps sweep out harmful toxins from your digestive tract. If you eat more raisins along with other fruits and vegetables, you may avoid bacterial growth in your digestive system. You may also experience less bloating.

Adult women need about 25 grams of fiber each day (men need 34). If you eat ½ cup of raisins you get 3.3 grams of fiber. That’s approximately 10-24 percent of your daily requirement.

Take care of your fiber in the morning and you’ll have plenty of healthy energy to start the day.

3. A Rainbow of Flavors

Raisins come in one flavor—dried grape. Would it surprise you to find out raisins come in different flavors?

Imagine taking a golden raisin and adding a splash of orange, pineapple, or watermelon. Sounds like a healthy version of the popular dried fruit snacks, doesn’t it?

If you’ve never eaten a golden raisin, you’re missing out!

Golden raisins, dried by dehydration in machines, are plumper than black raisins. Air-dried black raisins have a chewier texture. Both raisins taste delicious and have similar nutritional content.

Shop now and tempt your taste buds with a fruity golden raisin treat!

4. Spend Less Time at the Dentist

When you eat raisins, you’re not only eating a dried fruit that tastes delicious, you’re promoting good dental health.

Full of phytochemicals, these tiny treats could keep you out of the dentist’s chair. Of course, you’ll still need your 6-month check-ups, but you may not need as many fillings and gum treatments.

Phytochemicals in raisins include:

Oleanolic Acid
Linoleic Acid
Linolenic Acid

Such fancy names but what do they do? These phytochemicals battle bacteria in your mouth that cause cavities.

Choose raisins instead of other sugary snacks and keep your healthy smile!

5. Raisins and the Love Train

Sometimes your love life needs a little help. Consider trying raisins instead of Dr. Love’s latest podcast.

Raisins contain L-arginine, an amino acid thought to help with low libido.

Everyone experiences a few low moments in their romantic life. Why not indulge in a treat known as an aphrodisiac in many cultures? On their wedding night, newlyweds in India drink a glass of milk boiled with raisins and saffron.

Not only for the newly married, gentlemen who struggle with erectile dysfunction may find eating a handful of this dried fruit helps get their sex life back on track.

6. Age Gracefully with Raisins

All women eventually deal with one of the most talked-about life events associated with aging—menopause. While raisins aren’t known to alleviate hot flashes, they can help prevent bone loss or osteoporosis. Post-menopausal women often suffer from osteoporosis.

Calcium may help prevent bone loss and raisins provide around 45 milligrams in a ½ cup serving. Raisins also contain a significant amount of boron. Boron is a trace element that partners with vitamin D and calcium. Together they help with bone and joint health.

7. Natural Skin and Hair Treatment

Who doesn’t need a little help with skin and hair? Both take a beating from the environment, cosmetics, and age.

People who consume foods containing vitamin C and antioxidants tend to enjoy radiant and youthful skin. The humble raisin contains both. Raisins also have germicidal properties and can help if you struggle with acne or psoriasis.

When you see someone with beautiful shiny, thick hair, ask them what they eat. You might find out they include a raisin or two in their diet. Because of their vitamin C content, they help promote healthy hair.

If you battle scalp conditions like dandruff or scalp irritation put raisins on your grocery list. The anti-inflammatory properties of this snack help prevent both.

8. Lullaby and Goodnight

One in every 3 adults experiences occasional insomnia. For 1 in 10, it’s a chronic problem. If you count sheep all night and still can’t fall asleep, try snacking.

Specifically, eat fruits high in melatonin (bananas, pineapple, oranges). What about raisins? While raisins may not help you fall asleep, they’re rich in antioxidants, which may help counteract the effects of oxidative stress.

Sleep disorders like insomnia cause oxidative stress. Oxidative stress causes an inflammatory reaction in the body. The antioxidant-rich raisin helps keep inflammation in check.

If you don’t eat snacks right before bedtime, try adding raisins to a pasta dish at dinner. Pasta, high in carbohydrates, may also help you slumber.

Have You Had a Healthy Snack Today?

After seeing what eating raisins can do for you, you added a box to your shopping list this week, didn’t you?

From relieving constipation and bloating, to healthier skin and hair, along with many other benefits, a raisin a day just makes sense.

If you’ve enjoyed this post and want more articles on beauty, health, parenting, and food, please visit our online archives. Thanks for reading and happy snacking!

Related health Foods:
4 Ways to Encourage Kids to Be Healthy
Healthy Breakfast Recipes for Those in a Hurry
3 Quick Tips To Help You Reduce Food Waste
This post contains affiliate links, which means I might receive a small commision, if you make a purchase using this link.

July 21, 2019

Treating Skin After Radiation Therapy – Useful Guidance To Follow

One can make peace with not having the best features and a chiseled jaw-line when one has flawless skin. However, sometimes, life conditions go rough and toxic, which makes us lose our skin elasticity and glow. One such condition is radiation therapy to cure cancer. The survivors of this chronic ailment often have to complain about their damaged and darkened skin texture, which is a noticeable side effect of radiation therapy. And these people want to heal their skin back to normalcy again by opting in for the best treatments.

Fortunately, today, you have some best skin cures for skin that has undergone radiation. These are advanced and high-end skin repair serum and cream that heals the skin layers from within. With regular use, the darkness gets removed, and the skin regains its old form. Even if it doesn’t look the same, before the radiation therapy, the improvement is remarkable. To know more about this, you can check out the advanced and new age natural cream for radiation burns.

Other than applying these crèmes, you can also follow other measures. They are as follows:

Get back to a good sleeping cycle and drink water

These two things are essential for excellent skin condition. During therapy, your sleep cycle gets disturbed, which in turn disturbs your hydration levels. So, ensure to drink plenty of water in a day and sleep for close to seven to eight hours. Gradually, you will find that your skin is healing. Read about therapy.

1. Bath in lukewarm water

It is essential to treat your skin correct! Bathing in hot water might affect your already treated skin. Hence, ensure that you make use of lukewarm water to clean your body during your bath. Lukewarm water has a soothing impact on your skin. It doesn’t increase the skin burns or add irritation in any way. Instead, it gently cleans the skin and helps to heal it gradually.

Do not experiment with soaps and other crèmes

Make sure that you only apply soap and crème prescribed to you! When you are in the healing phase, you shouldn’t be experimenting with random products that you see on the shop shelves. Instead, stick to the product prescribed to you and ask for doctors’ guidance from time to time. It’s also a good practice to stay loyal to a single soap type, as your skin doesn’t respond well when you change your skincare products too often.

Make use of moisturizer daily

People with right skin conditions stay hydrated and use a good moisturizer. Other than drinking the correct quantity of water throughout the day, you should also use the medicated moisturizer prescribed to you. Radiation therapy can make skin patchy and dry. The moisturizer has a calming effect on your skin, and it gradually takes away the harsh side effects of radiation.

It is essential that you choose your products well. Today, many brands promise their crèmes would heal your skin after radiation. Not many brands can keep to the promise. Make sure to choose a brand that has a useful review and high-end products as well. Also, make sure you are not overpriced for the product.

July 11, 2019

How To Recover From A Cosmetic Gum Lift Procedure

Image Source: Unsplash

Achieving your dream smile might take more than just one procedure. In fact, if you think you have too little or too much gum tissue around your teeth, a surgery called a cosmetic gum lift procedure or gum contouring can help you achieve an attractive and confident smile.

Gum lifts are often recommended after gingivitis causes a severe recession of your gum line. If your dentist recommends the procedure, there are a few tips you can use for recovery and aftercare.

Restrictions During Your Gum Lift Procedure Recovery

One of the most important tips is to be careful with what you eat after your surgery. Your gums will be extremely sensitive, and that’s why you’ll need to avoid eating anything sharp or anything that could irritate, poke or cut your gums in any way. Because of this, any dentist Gold Coast patients visit would suggest that their patients would stick to a soft diet of soup, ice cream, pudding and yoghurt for a few days after the surgery.

If a scalpel was used to perform your gum lift, you’ll likely need to make a follow-up visit to your dentist, too. During your visit, the dentist will carefully examine your gums to determine if you’re healing properly. If everything is on track, you’ll be able to return to your normal eating habits. You may also receive an antibiotic rinse to use to keep infections at bay. Also, remember to brush your teeth very gently.

Recovering from a Cosmetic Gum Lift Procedure

A gum lift procedure is usually performed using laser technology. That’s because lasers are incredibly accurate. Before your gum is lifted, the dentist will apply anaesthesia, so you won’t feel anything during your procedure. You will, however, feel a slight discomfort once the anaesthetic wears off. An over the counter pain medication will help relieve any gum discomfort.

As with any other dental procedure, you should avoid eating or drinking until the anaesthetic wears off. This usually takes about half an hour.

Looking After Your Gums After Your Surgery

Healing after a cosmetic gum lift procedure is relatively quick. You can help make your recovery process even smoother with a few steps to help you avoid infections. These include the following steps:

Always rinse your mouth with an alcohol-free mouthwash. Do this at least twice a day.
Do not smoke.
Brush your teeth twice a day but be gentle with your gums.
Floss every day to remove the build-up of plaque.

One of the biggest benefits of cosmetic gum lift surgery is that there are little to no complications associated with the procedure. Following the above aftercare steps will help to ensure you avoid anything going wrong.

Image Source: Unsplash

Waiting for the Final Results

There’s more good news. You can enjoy the results of your gum lift procedure immediately after surgery. Your teeth will even look more even and bigger. Once the surgery swelling goes down, the results will be even clearer. After just a week of treatment, you can expect to enjoy the full benefits of your gum lift.
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Related:
What Is Cosmetic Dentistry?
Regular Dental Check-ups Are Important To Your Health
Keeping Your Smile White and Your Mouth Healthy
I might receive compensation if you make a purchase after clicking an affiliate link at no cost to you.

June 7, 2019

Tummy Tuck vs Liposuction: Understanding the Difference in Cosmetic Procedures

According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, plastic surgery trends plastic surgery trends are on the rise. In the United States last year alone, 18 million people made the decision to go under the knife for one reason or another; up a quarter of a million from the year prior. And over the past five years, cosmetic surgical procedures have steadily been on the rise.

There are many reasons why this is happening. For starters, popular culture plays a much bigger role than it did in the best, and today’s consumers are heavily influenced by influencers in the media. From Kim Kardashian to supermodels like Kate Moss, people have become invested in the appearance of others.

But it’s not just about admiring today’s most popular flat-stomach on the front cover of celebrity magazines. The truth is, successful surgery can offer a huge boost in a person’s self-image. After all, it’s no secret that self-esteem is closely linked with how one feels about their physical appearance. According to the Clinical Psychological Science journal, patients who underwent plastic surgery emerged more confident and, in time, had less anxiety and a greater sense of joy and fulfillment.

Two of the most popular plastic surgery procedures are the tummy tuck and liposuction. While similar, they are very different, and understanding key differences can help you make better decisions. Here’s what you need to know:

What Is a Tummy Tuck?

One of the first things you’ll need to understand is what exactly a tummy tuck (abdominoplasty) is. “During a tummy tuck, excess fat and skin are removed,” says Revivology, a medical spa in Utah. “It also helps restore some of a person’s more weakened muscles, resulting in an abdominal profile that’s smoother than before.”

The best candidates for a tummy tuck are those who are in good health and simply want to fine-tune their appearance, tightening up the lining along the abdominal wall. Under no circumstance should it be used as a replacement for weight loss. If you’re planning to lose weight, or become pregnant, a tummy tuck isn’t the right surgery for you.

What Is Liposuction?
Liposuction is another type of cosmetic procedure that removes fat from the body, however, this is a better option for removing excess fat that’s been difficult to get rid of through traditional methods. If you have smaller fat deposits in areas like your stomach, hips, thighs, and butt, liposuction is a better option than a tummy tuck. This is also an ideal procedure for those who are within 30% of their ideal body weight. Generally, the fat that’s suctioned out from undesirable areas hovers between one and ten pounds.

Liposuction vs. Tummy Tuck

First and foremost, liposuction tends to be more popular because it’s far less invasive of a procedure. For instance, you likely won’t need general anesthesia; your surgeon will simply apply a local anesthetic (although you can, of course, request general anesthesia if you prefer). Small incisions are made around the targeted areas, and a thin tube is used underneath the skin to loosen your fat cells. It can take several visits to complete the process.

Tummy tucks typical involve longer recovery times and more apparent scarring. Of course, a great surgeon will do their best to keep scarring to a minimal. For example, they might have you wear a bikini that you like and try to ensure that the scar will be covered by your choice of swimsuit. During the procedure, general anesthesia is used. An incision is made at the bottom of the stomach to expose the muscles in the abdominal wall. Stretched muscles are sewn together to tighten them. Overall, this is completed in one procedure.

Determining What’s Best for You

When deciding to get rid of excess fat, choosing between liposuction and a tummy tuck can be a difficult choice to make. Both body contouring procedures have similar effects, but as you can understand by now, are done in different ways. If your primary issue is loose muscles as a result of weight loss, then tightening them with a tummy tuck could be just what you need. If you have isolated bulges of stubborn fat, liposuction may be the better option. In some cases, having a tummy tuck in addition to liposuction will also work, depending on your case. Opt for a consultation with at least two plastic surgeons to see how they can help you achieve your desired results.