Eating For Health

After being in our homes for that past few weeks, many of us have added on some unwanted pounds.   Now that the weather is better, can walking help you lose some of that weight?   Popsugar has a good article , “Yes, You Can Lose Weight Walking as Little as 30 Minutes a Day..”.   What are some keys to know about walking and weight loss? Amount of time – note the article indicates walking 30 minutes a day.   Much research has shown that if you want to lose some fat, you need to exercise for more than 20 minutes.   So, a 30-minute walk is a great way to start. How often?   Aim for walking and exercising for at least 150 minutes a week .   That breaks down to at least 21 minutes a day.   If you walk 30 minutes a day, you will meet and exceed the recommendation for 150 minutes a week of exercising. How long?   One may not get quick weight loss by walking.   But a JAMA Internal Medicine article reported that without changing their diet, ...

At long last, summer is around the corner.   With summer heat comes hydration issues.   How can you stay hydrated this summer?   What beverages are best for hydration?   How do you know when you are getting dehydrated?   What are the health benefits of water? Many people don’t know water is a nutrient and has many important functions in our bodies.    The Mayo Clinic notes that every cell in our body needs water in order to work properly.   According to CDC , water helps your body in many ways: Water helps keep your temperature normal – so important on hot, humid days. Water helps lubricate and cushion your joints – important in summer when we are biking, walking, hiking, golfing, playing tennis – exercise that uses our joints day in and day out. And perspiration is water – sweating on a hot day means you are losing water and need to replenish it. Why do we need more water in summer? Hot days – when we are outside in hot weather, we s...

What does vitamin D have to do with COVID-19?   New research at Northwestern University indicates people who are deficient in vitamin D are “twice as likely to experience major complications”.   The researchers looked at data from 10 countries, including the USA, and found that people low on D had overactive immune systems.   Well, one would think having an overactive immune system would be a good thing, not so, especially when it comes to COVID-19.   Adequate levels of Vitamin D are protective as Vitamin D enhances our immune system and prevents the overactive immune problems.   The WST-TV 2 in Atlanta reports from Dr. Arielle Levitan, “We do believe that there is a link between vitamin D and immunity and it’s very possible that being vitamin D deficient could set you up for a worse infection.”    According to the article, not only does vitamin D boost your immune system but it also helps you fight inflammation and supports the function of your lu...