Health

As a parent, you may think that giving your child an iPhone or tablet is the best way to keep them entertained. But this isn’t necessarily true.

A new study published in Ophthalmology, the journal of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, has found that too much screen time can cause irreversible vision damage.

The study analyzed data from 1,958 children aged 7-12 and found that a whopping 27% developed myopia – the medical term for nearsightedness – between 2010 and 2013.

And the stats only get worse.

In the 1950s, myopia was largely unheard of in China. The London Vision clinic reports that only 10-20% of the population was shortsighted back then. These days, more than 90% of Chinese teenagers and young adults are myopic.

What’s even more troubling is that TV health issues aren’t limited to eye problems.

A recent study conducted by Harvard Health Publishing found that about one-third of American adults who watched more than four hours of TV a day had a 49% higher risk of heart attack than those who watched fewer than two hours.

All of these stats are scary, but the message is loud and clear: It’s time to limit screen time for you and your kids.

To keep myopia and other conditions at bay, you might want to adopt the following habits:

1. Set a Timer

A timer can help you keep track of the amount of time spent on TV or mobile devices.

For best results, set a timer for every 20 minutes or so, and when it goes off, take a break and move around.

You can also download a time tracker app to monitor how much time you spend on different apps.

2. Take Breaks Between Chapters

It’s easy to spend hours reading eBooks, especially because you don’t have to keep turning the pages, but reading in small chunks allows your eyes and brain a few seconds of rest.

This should be done especially if you’re using a device like Kindle or iPad that emits a blue light which may cause eye strain.

You can even alternate between eBooks and real books.

3. Your Posture Matters

Studies have established a link between slouching/slumping and myopia. In addition, bad posture can lead to fatigue, back pain, and headaches.

To ensure you’re adopting the right posture:

• Always sit up straight without your shoulders hunched or rounded.
• Your knees should always be level with your hips.
• Find a chair you can sit back in and support your spine.
• The screen should be at eye level to avoid bending your neck forward or backward.

4. Adjust the Brightness on Your Screen

Your eyes are important in almost every aspect of your life, and a screen that’s too bright is their number one enemy. Prolonged exposure to bright light may lead to myopia.

The lower the brightness level, the better.

5. Your Device Shouldn’t Be Too Close to Your Face

The way you hold your device is also important.

Make sure you’re not holding it too close to your face. Ideally, there should be at least a 20-inch gap between the screen and your eyes.

6. Avoid Direct Sunlight

Although working outside comes with physical and physiological benefits, prolonged exposure to the sun can cause blurred vision.

As such, be sure to avoid brightly lit areas. If you can’t, a good pair of sunglasses can help.

7. Create a Distraction

A distraction can be a good way to get your child to move away from the screen. Try getting them interested in another activity, like playing a game or reading a book.

8. Establish a Set Screen Time for Each Day

As a parent, you should establish certain “house rules” regarding TV and mobile devices. Make sure your child knows when it’s okay to watch TV or spend time on the computer and when it isn’t.

9. Spend More Time Outdoors

Although research isn’t conclusive, spending more time outdoors can delay the onset of myopia and other vision problems.

10. Put All Devices Away From Your Kid’s Bedroom

Make sure that all devices are out of reach of children when it’s time to sleep. This way, your kids won’t spend hours playing games before they go to bed.

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We all know sudden heart attacks can be dangerous and harm our health. However, many aren’t aware that slower-developing conditions can be equally, if not more harmful. One of these conditions is congestive heart failure (CHF), and it develops when your heart isn’t pumping blood efficiently.

Since this condition can have severe consequences, it’s vital to recognize the symptoms on time. Read on to learn which sign indicates congestive heart failure and what you need to do if you notice it.

Long-Lasting Cough

Coughing is an entirely normal process that helps eliminate irritants from our throat or airways. An occasional cough is perfectly healthy, has a protective purpose, and stops after the irritant has been removed.

But if the cough persists even when there’s no irritant, it could be a sign of a more serious underlying condition. The American Heart Association (AHA) emphasizes that a long-lasting cough with white or pink mucus can be a sign of heart failure.

This type of cough is also called cardiac cough. For those wondering how a long-lasting cough can be related to your heart, here’s the explanation. Due to CHF, the heart is less efficient, and the lungs become congested. The excess fluid then travels to your air sacs or alveoli. Your brain identifies this congestion as an irritant and instructs your chest and abdominal muscles to contract and eliminate the “intruder.”

Since coughing is generally related to respiratory infections, it can often go unnoticed for months. If you’ve received medication and the cough continues, you should get a heart exam.

Here are a few symptoms of cardiac cough you should pay attention to:

• Wet cough with occasional blood spots
• Heavy breathing
• Wheezing
• Whistling sound coming from the lungs
• Bubbling sensation in your chest
• Dry cough with an occasional white or pink mucus
• Nighttime coughing
• Dyspnea (shortness of breath during simple, non-demanding activities or sleeping)

What to Do if You Notice Symptoms of Cardiac Cough?

Have you noticed your cough isn’t going away? If you suspect it’s cardiac cough, you mustn’t treat it yourself. Namely, many over-the-counter cough suppressants contain ingredients that raise blood pressure and cause fluid buildup, which could only worsen your condition.

If you’re already taking heart medication, continue with your routine and visit a doctor right away.

Other Early Signs of Heart Failure

In addition to cardiac cough, you might experience numerous other symptoms that could indicate heart problems. They are often attributed to stress or unhealthy lifestyle and are, unfortunately, dismissed as irrelevant.

Fatigue

Being constantly tired has become so common nowadays that many people forget it could be a sign of numerous health problems. When your heart is pumping inefficiently, your body doesn’t get enough oxygen, causing you to feel tired.

If you’re getting enough sleep but still feel exhausted, seek medical help to check your heart health.

Irregular Heart Beat

Naturally, our hearts beat faster when we’re excited, under stress, or exercising. But if your heart skips beats, or beats faster than usual when you’re inactive, this is almost always a warning sign.

Swollen Legs, Ankles, or Feet

Swollen legs, ankles, or feet could indicate that fluid is trapped in your body. The buildup of excess fluid is called edema and is often caused by congestive heart failure.

Chest Discomfort

Chest pain, pressure, pinching, or tightness can be a sign of heart failure. Even if it happens occasionally or lasts for a short period, you should get it checked out.

Rapid Weight Gain

Edema can occur anywhere in your body. This excess fluid can cause you to rapidly and suddenly gain weight. This can indicate heart failure and additionally strains your already weakened heart.

Lack of Appetite

Not feeling hungry even if you haven’t eaten for a long time can be another symptom of heart failure. This, along with nausea, is often related to stomach issues, but it’s actually a common sign of heart problems, too. Since your heart isn’t working properly, your digestive system isn’t getting enough blood, thus causing a lack of appetite.

Confusion or Impaired Thinking

The AHA states that varying levels of substances in our blood can cause different psychological symptoms. Some of them are confusion, disorientation, impaired thinking, and even memory loss.

Most frequently, the people around you will notice these symptoms before you. Since disorientation and confusion can occur with other serious conditions, it’s necessary to visit a doctor as soon as possible.

Be Smart About Your Heart

Symptoms that indicate congestive heart failure are often “hidden,” and many people disregard them as being caused by something else. To keep your heart healthy, go for regular check-ups and take your medication as prescribed. Additionally, eat heart-healthy foods and engage in physical activity.

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Feeling bloated is not a very pleasant experience. Not only can it make your stomach feel full, tight, and sometimes even hurt, but it also makes your belly look bigger. Bloating is common: according to research in the Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology journal, it affects 16% to 19% of the general population.

There are many ways to prevent bloating. In this article, we’ll discuss what causes it and how to keep it at bay.

Standard Causes of Bloating

Nutritionist and owner of Steps2Nutrition Carrie Gabriel MS, RDN, advises that gas is the most common cause of bloating. The breaking down of undigested food combined with swallowed air creates a build-up of gas in the digestive tract. Ways in which we end up swallowing air include eating too quickly, chewing gum, and smoking.

Medical conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), and mental health factors such as depression or anxiety can also contribute to bloating.

Foods That Cause Bloating

Unhealthy foods that are high in fat, such as onion rings or fried chicken, cause bloating because they take longer to digest.

Carbonated beverages like soda and beer contain carbon dioxide and fermentable carbohydrates, well-known causes of bloating. High fructose corn syrup, an ingredient commonly added to fruit drinks, soda, and bread, can cause bloating when consumed in large quantities.

Many of the foods that cause gas and bloating are healthy (for example, cruciferous vegetables), so they shouldn’t be entirely cut out of your diet. Cabbage, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, and cauliflower may cause bloating, but they are packed with beneficial fiber and vitamins.

How to Prevent Bloating?

Try Adopting a Low-FODMAP Diet

A diet low in fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides, and polyols (FODMAPs) is recommended for IBS management, and many have success with it for reducing bloating. It essentially means avoiding foods that are not easily broken down in the gut or are high in carbs. Examples include garlic, beans, and foods containing lactose, such as milk and cheese.

Take Your Time When Eating

Limit distractions while you eat by practicing a little mindful eating. Focus on what you’re eating, enjoy it, and eat slowly to help reduce the amount of air swallowed.

Exercise

Physical activity has been found to reduce symptoms in people with chronic illnesses that cause regular bloating.

Keep Bloating at Arm’s Length

To avoid gas and other unpleasant side effects, eat food that is low in carbs, swap unhealthy food for fish or grilled chicken, eat slowly, and exercise regularly.

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Just when we’ve finally managed to recover from the battering our skin and hair took over the summer, here comes cold weather. Freezing temperatures and strong winds definitely do no good to our skin or hair. You’re not safe even if you’re inside: dry air strips the moisture, making our hair look rough and skin feeling itchy and cracked.

In this article, we’ll offer tips and tricks on how to keep your skin and hair healthy even during cold weather.

General Preventive Measures

As you may have heard, prevention is always better than cure. The following tips can help you prevent dry skin and hair during the harshest weather conditions:

• Avoid long, hot showers – Although this may seem impossible during winter, taking short warm or lukewarm showers is much healthier for your skin and hair.
• Layer up – If you need to go outside, put on enough layers to protect your skin and hair. Scarves, hats, and gloves should become your best friends during winter.
• Drink enough water – Studies show drinking water keeps your skin hydrated.
• Adjust your diet – Food’s rich in omega-3 fatty acids – such as salmon, avocado, nuts, or olive oil – should become a part of your diet. These healthy fats hydrate and soothe your skin. Additionally, stock up on produce rich in vitamin C, such as citrus fruits or greens. Vitamin C helps the production of collagen and elastin, both essential for skin and hair.

In Case You Forgot…

So, what if you were too late with preventive measures and are now wondering how to cure dry skin and hair? Here are the solutions:

Dry Skin

To cure dry skin, you’ll need to use thick moisturizers with nurturing ingredients such as shea butter, glycerin, primrose oil, or vitamin E. Additionally, you can use creams with ceramides and lipids to repair the damage.

It’s also important to carefully choose the soaps and shower gels. Look for those that don’t contain ingredients that will strip the moisture further.

After showering, apply a thick layer of lotion to lock in the moisture.

Red Nose

The best way to get rid of a red nose is to apply a warm compress for several minutes and then apply ointment or a thick moisturizer. Remember to use soft tissues for wiping your nose and moisturize every night before bed.

Dry Hair

Wind and cold air always take their toll on our hair. To keep your hair shiny and healthy during winter, it’s best to wash it as seldom as possible. Shampoos strip away the moisture and make our scalp and hair even drier. Try waiting longer between washes to enable your hair to recover.

Conditioners and hair masks are a must during winter. They contain the necessary ingredients to keep your hair moisturized.

Additionally, avoid brushing your wet hair because it’s much more delicate and prone to damage. If you need to brush it, use a tad of olive oil to make the process easier.

If you have a dry scalp, massage it with olive or coconut oil before washing your hair.

Dry and Chapped Lips

For flaky lips, you can use a sugar scrub or a toothbrush to get rid of excess skin. Also, don’t forget about lip balm; it should be used both outside and inside due to dry air.

Before bed, you can apply a rich moisturizer to your lips to hydrate them.

Cracked Feet

Cracked heels are another common problem during winter. Fortunately, you don’t have to spend money on pedicures. Instead, follow these three steps to get rid of cracked and dry feet:

1. Scrub once a week.
2. Moisturize every night.
3. Wear cotton socks to bed.

Dry Face and Windburn

Because it’s always exposed, your face can get extremely dry due to harsh winds and low temperatures to cure it, it’s necessary to use a gentle face wash and apply thick moisturizers followed by face oils.

Many people tend to forget that it’s possible to get sunburn even during the cold weather. Hence, using an SPF cream is highly advisable year-round.

Your Skin and Hair Will Be Grateful

Our skincare and haircare routines should change depending on the time of year. During winter, skin and hair get easily damaged by strong winds, rain, snow, and low temperatures. To keep them protected, it’s necessary to use the right products and be gentle and consistent.

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Soups are a favorite to many, especially during cold weather. They are packed with nutrients, cheap and easy to make in bulk, and enable you to experiment with different ingredients. While they can be extremely healthy, soups don’t always contribute to losing weight. Depending on your habits, soup can greatly inhibit the weight loss process.

Here’s what you should avoid if you want to eat soup and lose weight.

Eating Cream-Based Soups

Cream-based soups typically contain high-fat dairy products such as milk or cream. Although they are delicious and can be healthy, these soups are usually very high in calories, making weight loss much harder. Plus, dairy fat can affect your heart health and increase cholesterol levels.

If you want to lose weight, you should eat more broth-based soups instead.

Eating Starch-Based Soups

Starch is a carbohydrate found in various foods such as potatoes, rice, or wheat and has many health benefits. However, regular consumption of starch-based soups won’t help with weight loss. Most soups of this type are made with cream, milk, and bacon, which don’t contribute much to losing weight.

Moreover, these soups tend to be low in protein, which means you’ll feel hungry again after a short period.

Eating Soups Out of Bread Bowls

While soup in a bread bowl looks eye-appealing and delicious, it doesn’t assist in losing weight. One bread bowl can add hundreds of calories to your meal and cause spikes in blood sugar levels, thus slowing down the weight loss process.

Unless you can control yourself and not eat the bowl, you should avoid eating soups this way if you want to lose weight.

Don’t Give Up Soups to Lose Weight

If you want to lose weight, you don’t have to cut soups out of your diet. On the contrary, you should eat them often because they’ll help you consume fewer calories during your meals. Just remember to focus on broth-based soups rich in protein and fiber.

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Not only does a healthy gut contribute to effective digestion, but the long list of benefits includes improved heart and brain health and a more robust immune system. Now, a link has been found between balanced microbiota levels and lower blood pressure.

Keep reading to find out more about what this study found and the types of food that will help you benefit from this discovery.

Link Between Gut Health and Lower Blood Pressure Study

A group of epidemiology, biology, and public health researchers discovered an interesting connection. The study, published in the Hypertension journal, analyzed 904 participants to examine how gut microbiome arrangement relates to blood pressure. It was designed to assess how foods that contain flavonoids affect these health metrics.

What Are Flavonoids?

They are a group of natural substances found in many vegetables, fruits, grains, roots, flowers, bark, herbs, tea, chocolate, and wine. They’re well known for their positive effects on general health and preventing illnesses, including diabetes, cancer, heart disease, and many others.

Study Findings

Participants’ consumption of apples, pears, berries, and red wine throughout the study was analyzed. The researcher’s findings concluded that 15.2% of microbial factors responsible for clinically significant lower systolic blood pressure came from flavonoid-rich foods in the diet.

The study’s co-author Aedín Cassidy, Ph.D., said what we consume is critical in shaping our gut microbiome. He elaborated that in contrast to other food elements, flavonoids are mainly absorbed in the gut.

Increase Your Flavonoids Intake for Gut Health and Low Blood Pressure

The new study essentially confirmed that incorporating flavonoid-rich food into your diet boosts gut health and decreases blood pressure. Examples of such foods include berries, red cabbage, onions, tea, red wine, and dark chocolate.

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Visceral or belly fat wraps around your internal organs and increases your risk of heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, and more. Recent studies highlighted one drink that can help you battle visceral fat.

Read on to learn more about this wonder beverage.

Tea

Tea contains ingredients that can boost our metabolism and assist in fat loss. Plus, drinking tea reduces the risk of heart disease and repairs cells, both of which are related to decreasing visceral fat.

It’s important to clarify that not all types of tea are beneficial in this sense. For this purpose, it’s best to drink herbal or caffeinated teas.

We recommend consuming green tea for the most effective fat loss. The tea is rich in EGCG, a powerful antioxidant that improves our metabolism and contributes to burning visceral fat. One study indicated that drinking four cups of green tea each day causes weight loss. In addition, people with diabetes reported improved blood pressure levels thanks to this dose of green tea.

Although not as effective, herbal teas can also help you lose weight. Thanks to the wide range of flavors available, you can choose the one you like best and drink it instead of eating a late-night snack. These teas are low in calories and high in nutrients, which is why you should incorporate them into your routine. Since herbal teas don’t contain caffeine, you don’t have to be afraid of not being able to sleep.

Lose Weight Effectively

Consuming certain types of tea can reduce visceral fat. However, merely drinking tea without adjusting your lifestyle won’t have a significant effect. If you want to lose weight and be healthy, you’ll need to eat healthy foods, remain physically active, and be persistent.

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A glass of orange juice at breakfast is perceived as a great source of immune system-boosting nutrients like vitamin C. Depending on the quality, one eight-ounce cup contains between 80% and 100% of your daily value of vitamin C and other vitamins. However, orange juice has an unhealthy side: its sugar content.

Although pure orange juice is considered healthier than soda, as they both contain sugar, the fact that orange juice’s sugar is natural instead of artificially added doesn’t change how our body processes it.

According to JAMA Network Open, our body breaks down both natural and artificial sugars the same way. Therefore, drinking too much orange juice can sometimes lead to undesirable side effects. Keep reading to learn what some of them are, with an extra one revealed at the end.

1. Weight Gain

There is strong evidence that excess sugar causes weight gain through additional calories. The body usually digests sugary foods faster; therefore, the offset of hunger doesn’t last very long. That leads to more eating throughout the day, and thus, a greater caloric intake overall.

A Nutrition & Diabetes four-week study found that when participants drank orange juice three times a day between meals, they experienced an increase in body fat and a decrease in insulin sensitivity.

Sugar intake can become excessive when a combination of orange juice and other products with sugar adds up throughout the day.

2. Developing Type 2 Diabetes

Excessive sugar consumption and decreased insulin sensitivity have also been connected to an increased risk of type 2 diabetes. Many studies have specifically found a link between type 2 diabetes and sugary drinks containing fruit juice.

One study conducted over 24 years with over 180,000 participants concluded that drinking fruit juice every day led to a 21% higher risk of developing diabetes. On the other hand, eating the fruit whole correlated with a 23% lower risk of type 2 diabetes.

Assistant Professor at Harvard School of Public Health, Dr. Qi Sun, advised that the juicing process of fruits reduces its phytochemical and dietary fiber benefits. Moreover, the juices are absorbed more quickly and cause a rapid change in insulin levels and blood sugar than whole fruit.

3. Lower Your Blood Pressure

It’s not all bad news; drinking “too much” orange juice may also help to reduce your blood pressure. An American Journal of Clinical Nutrition study found that 24 overweight men’s blood pressure was reduced after drinking two cups of orange juice daily for a month.

They believed the benefits could be linked to the significant content of the polyphenol hesperidin found in orange juice. Hesperidin is a bioflavonoid shown to take on an anti-atherogenic and anti-inflammatory role in our bodies.

The Pros and Cons of Drinking Too Much Orange Juice

Obesity, a leading cause of diabetes and a result of excessive weight gain, can be contributed to by excessive sugar calories and overeating following sugar crashes. Studies confirm that the sugar content in fruit juice is exceptionally high, and it offers less nutritional benefit than eating whole fruit.

While drinking too much juice can help lower blood pressure, it also increases your risk of weight gain, obesity, and type 2 diabetes.

To help keep your sugar intake within a healthy range, limit yourself to one cup of fruit juice per day.

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Counting calories is a popular method for losing weight. But it doesn’t work for everyone. More often than not, the pounds you’ve lost will return after a short period. This leads to frustration and discouragement and to people giving up on their weight loss journey.

Let’s look at the science behind this weight loss method and see if there’s an alternative.

There’s More to It

Many people think that counting calories is an efficient way to lose weight. As such, they only pay attention to the numbers. But experts claim it’s equally important to consider where the calories are coming from.

According to Harvard Health Publishing, three main factors determine how your body processes food:

• Metabolism
• Gut microbiome
• Type of calories

Our body needs to work to extract calories from the food we eat. The type of food we consume will determine how much energy our body will need to spend. This is called “caloric availability.”

Caloric availability represents the number of calories we can actually extract from foods, compared to the total calorie amount. For example, when we eat 100 calories of protein, we can use only around 70 calories. The rest goes to the energy that’s necessary for processing the 100 calories.

In comparison, the caloric availability of fat is 100%, complex carbohydrates 90%, and refined carbs around 97%. This means our body doesn’t use a lot of energy when digesting them.

This is connected to the thermic effect of food (TEF), which we experience whenever we’re digesting macronutrients. The TEF for protein is high, meaning our metabolism works harder to digest them, thus expending more energy and contributing to weight loss.

Eat More Protein

Instead of only paying attention to the total number of calories you consume throughout the day, focus on the origin and quality. Incorporate more protein into your diet, increase your fiber intake, and consume less sugar.

If keeping track of your food makes you feel good, try counting macros, but consult your doctor or dietitian first.

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In an attempt to not waste food, we often refrigerate leftovers. Of course, we may end up throwing the leftovers away once we realize they’ve been forgotten for too long in the depths of the fridge. A Penn State University study found that the average American household wastes around 31% of food bought. That’s $240 billion worth of food wasted each year.

Nobody wants to waste perfectly good food. Fortunately, there are many ways to reduce waste. Read on to learn how to properly store food in your fridge and other ways to help keep your food waste to a minimum.

Place Your Leftovers Where You Can See Them

When arranging the items in our fridge, we are usually inclined to bring the things we use most to the front of the refrigerator for convenience. With those items obscuring everything else, we may not notice until it’s far too late that our Thanksgiving leftovers are still there.

To avoid that, keep your leftovers towards the front with all your other frequently used items. When they’re kept in sight, you’ll be reminded to eat them while they’re still edible.

Plan Your Meals

Another way to avoid a forgotten leftovers surprise is by planning your meals. Decide what you want to cook for the week or the days ahead, and keep the ingredients required (that you don’t already have) in mind before heading to the store. According to the Stop Wasting Food Movement, this type of planning makes an enormous difference as people typically overestimate how much food their families will eat.

Ensure Your Refrigerator’s Temperature Is Set Correctly

Checking that your refrigerator is set to the right temperature helps preserve food and keep your energy bills down. When it’s set too high, your food will spoil; too low, and some items may freeze or develop ice crystals. TheKitchn advises that the ideal temperature for your fridge is between 35 and 38 degrees Fahrenheit.

However, the warmest part of the fridge is the door, as it gets exposed to warm air every time you open and close the refrigerator. Items that must be kept cold to stay fresh should be stored further back in your fridge.

Don’t Keep Your Leftovers at the Back of Your Fridge

Arrange your food items strategically. Keep what needs to be consumed first closer to the front. Remember, food that’s out of sight might simply be forgotten.

Store perishable items that need to stay cold, like milk, in the coldest part of the fridge towards the back.

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