Food borne Illnesses: Prevention for Healthy Eating

May 10, 2011 by  
Filed under Wellness

Health Advice Online asked:


Eating healthy foods will help you to boost your immune process, but what if it’s the foods themselves making you sick? Food borne illness can cause food poisoning and a variety of other more dangerous diseases, so they are a real threat to our bodies. Luckily, there’s a quantity of things you can do to prevent food borne illnesses. Following safety tips when handling, preparing, and storing food is  important.

After your food is cooked, you should continue to monitor temperature. basically put, keep hot foods hot and cold foods cold. Hot foods should be kept at temperatures above 140 degrees Fahrenheit, while cold foods should be kept at temperatures below 40 degrees Fahrenheit. The range between that’s where bacteria can grow. When letting food lovely for refrigeration, place in the refrigerator after no over one hours and when thawing meals, do so in a bowl or pan in the refrigerator,  than at room temperature.

First and foremost, you should be concerned with the temperature of your foods. When cooking meat, make sure to use a thermometer in order to make sure that you meat is reaching to proper temperatures inside. Some meats, like beef, can be served rare safely, but proper temperatures are crucial. This kills any bacteria that may be growing on the meat. In the case of burger and other loaf meats that have been ground and formed in to patties, you should not eat rare meals. The bacteria then easily are found inside the meat as well as on the outside, and you are at risk if you do not cook these meats for a long period of time to kill any bacteria.

Cross contamination is a huge culprit when you are concerned with preventing illness and your food. Cross contamination is basically the moving of bacteria from one dish to another. This happens when you use dirty cutting boards, don’t wish your dishes properly, and use the same utensil for all of your foods. If you use, for example, a knife to cut raw chicken and then use that same knife to cut your food after it’s been cooked, a quantity of the bacteria from the raw chicken has probably remained on the knife, which can make you  ill. Make sure that you are using a neat work space and neat tools whenever you cook.

Along with using a neat environment, you should make sure that you are washing you hands regularly. Every time you touch raw foods, you should use disinfecting hand soap and hot water to make sure that no bacteria remains on your hands. Making sure that your food is safe is one of the most important parts of healthy eating, so don’t overlook this step the next time you prepare a meal.



Good Health Habits to Stay Healthy

May 10, 2011 by  
Filed under Fitness

medical_staff_clJuliet Cohen asked:

Health Habits is a important parts of growing up. Many god habits icrising your growth. There are an infinite number of positive acts you can take for your well-being. One can get good health by setting basic rules in life. Eating is an essential and important part of life. One can get good health by setting basic rules in life and thereafter following them for a long duration.. After all, food gives us the calories and nutrients we need to survive and it also provides us with the energy we need to go about our daily business. Healthy eating helps to provide your body with all of the essential nutrients that it requires to function. And, though we often forget to think about it, the food we eat has a direct impact on our physical, mental, and emotional health. For these reasons (and many more!) it is important that healthy eating becomes a vital part of our daily lifestyle. But what exactly is healthy eating? Here are some of the basics that can help get you started on the path to healthy eating.Take breakfast every morning enriched with vitamins and minerals and avoid fat and cholesterol rich food. Develop any kind of hobby according to your interest to enjoy and live longer. Protect your skin from damages using protective clothing and avoiding hot sun. Take variety of fruits and vegetables in daily diet. A holiday that gives you more than just happiness, also a legacy of good health. You try to make these simple changes in to a regular habit in order to achieve long term success. It is very important to improve your health in order to be happy and enjoy life.

Good health is of prime importance to all of us. Stay home if you have a respiratory infection when possible.Keeping hands clean is one of the most important steps you can take to avoid getting sick and spreading germs to others. Avoid contact with people who are sick. Cover your mouth with tissue paper when coughing or sneezing and encourage others to do so. Wash your hands after disposing of the tissue paper. Positive thinking is very essential in order to be healthy. You need to clear out your mind and fill it with positive thoughts. You will have to remove all the depressing and negative emotions and thoughts from your mind and replace it with healthy and positive thoughts. These positive thoughts can be extremely energizing and always lead to good things in life. You can get involved in practices such as meditation and yoga to get rid of the negativity and force yourself with positive thoughts. Try to avoid refined foodstuffs. The main reason for ill health and diseases is improper food habits. Because of this many people suffer from diseases like diabetes, cancer, obesity ect. Try to avoid smoking and alcoholic drinks. For good health, you need to exercise daily. Exercising in the morning can leave you with a refreshed feeling throughout the day. Exercising can put you in a good mood and it will be easier for you to think positively and eat healthy foods. You can also get involved in activities such as swimming, biking, walking or playing your favorite sport in order to keep you healthy.

Tips of Good Health Habits

1. Start your day with a healthy breakfast- People who eat breakfast are less likely to overeat later in the day and are less inclined to pack on the pounds. Children who eat breakfast have the tendency to perform better in school, and adults, better at work.

2. Drink lots of water throughout the day, the more the better. A good amount to aim for is at least four to six 8-ounce glasses per day. In fact drinking a glass of water when you first get out of bed in the morning is an excellent way to get a jumpstart on your day.

3. Variety is the spice of life- Get into a habit of eating a variety of different foods with your meals, just make sure that at least five servings are fruits and vegetables.

4. Eat plenty of lean, high protein foods in your daily diet such as lean meat, fish, chicken and beans. Stay away from salted and processed meats. Also eat grains, whether they be in the form of wholegrain cereal, breads etc. Grains provide the body with fiber, iron and B vitamins and are therefore a necessity.

5. Milk is more than just delicious, it is very good for you.

6. Some foods, such as potatoes and cheese often get a bad rap as being extremely fattening. Perhaps it is a reputation they do not deserve because “everything in moderation” is a good rule of thumb to live by.

7. Beware of excessive intakes of caffeine. Avoid coffee, soft drinks and chocolate. It can cause dehydration.

8. Take vitamins on a regular basis.

9. Adopting the vegetarian or vegan lifestyle-Vegetarians, and vegans even more so, need to supplement their diets with vitamins to replace what they no longer receive from specific kinds of foods.

10. Dieting can be dangerous.

Advice Healthy-finding the Right Doctor and the Right Health Advice

May 10, 2011 by  
Filed under Health

Anne Marie Deja asked:

Looking for a medical information site that’s compact and easy to navigate with an easy to follow format? Then check out the new venture by Purple Trout Media called Advice Healthy (www.advicehealthy.com). It’s purpose is twofold. You can get helpful information on a variety of topics, as well as, find a doctor in your area or anywhere in the country.

You start out on the homepage with news articles on a variety of topics which change daily, along with a featured article that is hand-picked by our Advice Healthy staff. But don’t stop there. On the Health Topics page you can choose from a variety of health related categories to read up on…everything from Alternative Medicine to Women’s Health. Even more categories are in the works. These articles are updated frequently to keep you abreast of the current treads.

Our “Find a Doctor” feature is nationwide and easy to use. You can search by a doctor’s name, specialty, or state they practice in. Yet there’s more. Doctors who choose to participate in Advice Healthy get their own personal website to inform potential patients about their practice. After you complete your search, you can navigate to these doctors’ sites by simply clicking on their name. Once at a doctor’s personal website, you will find out where the doctor practices, office hours, and affiliations. They introduce themselves and what their practice is all about right there on their homepage. The services the doctor provides and any articles or other information that the doctor would like to impart are also included on additional pages within their site. You can even print any forms that you will need to fill out for your first appointment.

So have a look around. You’ll want to come back again and again to read up on interesting health topics and to find that doctor that’s just right for you. See you on the web at www.advicehealthy.com.