HEALTH & FITNESS
Start the New Year fresh
By Michelle Ginsler RD
(NC)—After several weeks of eating and drinking
over the holidays, there is no better time than right now to make a
fresh start. With a list of New Year's resolutions firmly in place,
a "cleansing" detoxification (detox) diet may be at the top of your
list.
Designed to help your body clear out a build-up
of toxins, a detox diet can help you feel healthy and refreshed,
while improving digestion and clearing up your skin.
Avoid: Simple sugars (fruit juice, candy,
pastries) and processed or refined foods (white breads, crackers and
pastas); foods that contain artificial sweeteners, additives or
preservatives; alcohol and caffeine-containing beverages (coffee,
regular tea and soda); saturated ("bad") fat found in red meat and
dairy products; and common allergens such as wheat and peanuts.
Include: Plenty of fresh vegetables and some
fruit, which provide dietary fibre; whole grains such as brown rice
and quinoa; lean protein from fish, chicken, turkey, egg whites,
tofu, beans and nuts; filtered water (8-10 cups each day); and
caffeine free herbal or green tea. Choose organic products whenever
possible to reduce exposure to harmful pesticides and hormones.
The following tips will help get you started on a
detoxification diet:
• Pick a detox diet that realistically fits with
your lifestyle. Purchase any groceries you will need in advance and
have a set of meal ideas planned for the entire duration of your
detox.
• Working towards a goal is much easier if you
can share the journey with a friend or family member. It is
important to have someone who can motivate and encourage you to
stick with the detox program.
• Headaches, nausea and fatigue are some of the
symptoms you may experience during the first few days of your detox.
To prevent headaches from caffeine withdrawal, gradually decrease
your intake of coffee or switch to decaf a few days prior to
beginning the diet.
• Take a daily multivitamin such as Jamieson
Super Vita-Vim to help supply any essential nutrients you may be
missing from your diet during the detox.
• Add 20 to 30 minutes of gentle physical
activity to your daily routine (such as walking or yoga) to get
blood and oxygen flowing to the tissues and help your body to
eliminate toxins.
• Remember that the hardest part of any diet is
getting through the first few days. The key to success is to think
in terms of making long-term healthy lifestyle changes -- which a
detox can help you get started with.
More information is available online at
www.jamiesonvitamins.com
or toll-free 1-800-265-5088.
Credit:
www.newscanada.com
RECIPES
Fortune Cookies
8 oz. All-purpose flour
2 tbsp. Cornstarch
4 oz. Sugar
1/2 tsp. Salt
4 oz. Vegetable oil
4 oz. Egg whites
1 tbsp. Water
2 tsp. Vanilla extract
1. In a deep bowl, mix the following ingredients: 8
oz. Flour, 2 tablespoons corn starch, 4 oz sugar and 1/2 teaspoon
salt, blend in 4 oz. oil, 4 oz. Egg whites, 1 tablespoon water and 2
teaspoons vanilla extract, and beat until smooth consistency.
2. Write your own "Fortune" on a piece of paper 2
1/2" by 1/2". Prepared oven to 300F.
3. Scoop a tablespoon of cookie batter and spread
evenly into a 4" circle on a well greased baking sheet.
4. Bake cookie for about 14 minutes or until lightly
golden brown. Remove one cookie at a time from the oven.
5. You have about 15 seconds working time before the
cookie hardens. Place the "Fortune" in the middle of the cookie.
6. Shape the cookie by folding it in half and grasp
both ends. Place the finished cookie in a muffin pan with the ends
down to hold its unique shape.
Makes 25 Cookies
FASHION
Stay Warm and Stylish All Winter Long
Designer Christian Dior once said, “Without hats we would have
no civilization." With winter upon us, there is no better time
to express your unique style while staying warm under the
latest, trendy hats of the season.
“Clothing is a unique expression of self and hats definitely get
noticed,” says Susan Lee, hat designer with the Village Hat
Shop. “Hats stand out and you can easily change the entire look
of an outfit simply by changing your hat. There is no better
time than winter to start experimenting with hats.”
Lee offers a heads up about this winter’s hat trends.
Start With the Basics
Berets are hot. High-quality berets are versatile, well made and
can be worn all year long. They can be worn in a more
traditional “French” style or pulled back to fit on the crown of
the head for a more modern look. Traditional berets are made
with wool, but the look of a beret can be changed entirely when
made from chunky yarns, Angora or even velvet.
Get Artsy
Knit and crochet hats provide warmth with an artisan feel. A
popular celebrity accessory of late, the crochet “slouch” hat is
an artsy way to hide a bad hair day. Whether the entire hat is
crochet or features crochet accessories, a handmade look
enhances any outfit.
Indiana Who?
For decades handsome men have sported classic fedoras, but they
look great on daring women too. With a brim to tilt and a
grosgrain ribbon to dress it up, a fedora can make a woman look
mysterious like Marlene Dietrich and make a man look (and feel)
like Indiana Jones or Frank Sinatra. A fedora is also a great
winter hat as the brim helps keep rain, sleet and snow off the
face.
A Soft, French Bell
Making a big comeback is the cloche--the French word for bell
and a soft style inspired by hats of the 1920s. This feminine
hat can be dressed down in fleece or felt or even dressed up in
silk to complement an elegant cocktail dress. Plain or
embellished with sequins, feathers or flowers, a cloche adds
romance and elegance to every look.
If you’re worried your trendy new hat will leave you with flat
hat hair, don’t. If you’re wearing the hat for less than a few
hours, take off the hat and add a styling product to reshape
your hair. “If you’re wearing the hat for longer than a few
hours,” says Lee, “just find one that’s too good to take off
then you don’t have to worry about hat hair.”
The Village Hat Shop offers an enormous selection of hats for
all seasons and, during their 27 years in business, has won
numerous awards and high praise for their customer service and
quick turnaround time. For more information about the latest
trends in headwear or to purchase your new winter hat, visit
www.VillageHatShop.com.
Courtesy of ARAcontent
PARENTING
Five Easy Ways to Keep Your Family Virus-Free
Cold season can be scary, especially for parents will small
children. The U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
estimates that 35-50 million Americans are infected with the flu
each year between November and March. Children are two to three
times more likely to spread the virus.
If you’ve got little ones in daycare, and dread spending all of your
sick days braving doctor visits and pharmacy lines, you’re not
alone. Vicki Lansky, parenting expert and author of “Practical
Parenting Tips” (Meadowbrook Press) has some advice for you.
Here are five great tips to help keep you and your kids
virus-free this cold season:
1. Sanitize toothbrushes. Help prevent colds during the
cold-and-flu season by putting all the toothbrushes in the
dishwasher every few days. Buy new toothbrushes after an illness.
Use disposable cups in the bathroom.
2. Stay Clean. Wash hands frequently, for 20 seconds each time.
Children should sing “Happy Birthday” twice in 20 seconds.
3. Wash bedding. When your child is healthy again, wash his or
her bedding with hot water.
4. Humidify. If you don’t own a steamer or humidifier, boil water
on the stovetop with the lid off or use an electric coffee maker.
Just be sure that the hot water is safely away from children.
5. Keep cool. Put a feverish child in a lukewarm tub and let him
or her blow bobbles. When the child gets bored, feed him or her a
Popsicle right in the tub. There’s no mess, and the fever comes
down.
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