Tag Archives: water

The Health Benefits of “Souping”

Healthy Eating, , , , ,

Have you heard of souping? If not the basic principle is pretty easy—essentially you eat soup often for health benefits. It is a cousin of juicing, except you are getting more fiber since you aren’t ingesting just the liquid parts of the vegetables. It is also a good way to help get in your eight glasses of water a day.

One might eat soup only, one might always have a soup appetizer, or one might have soup for one or two meals a day. With pureed veggies it is possible to consume more vegetables in a sitting. Many American diets lack enough plant-based proteins.

The average person doesn’t have anything to worry about if they choose to eat a lot of soup. However, those with heart disease, diabetes or kidney issues may want to steer clear of souping. Restricting calories may cause shifts in blood sugar or electrolytes that could complicate these conditions. If you are unsure it is best to consult with a physician before making any kind of extreme diet change.

An extreme soup fast will help kick start weight loss and healthy eating but men and women should still consume 1,500 and 1,200 calories respectively. It isn’t recommended that anyone do this for more than five days in a row.

Adding soup as an appetizer or eating soup as a meal should be OK for most people to continue long term to aid in healthier eating.

With any kind of extreme change in diet it is always best to check with your doctor first.

Ever wonder how safe your water is?

Health Issues, Healthy Eating, , , ,

You can find out how safe your water is in your area. You can go to https://www.ewg.org/tapwater/ and put in your zip code and find out what, if any, contaminants are in the water you drink. After you put in your zip code, you can select your water company. When I did that, I found there are 7 contaminants above the health guidelines along with 10 additional contaminants. The report on my water is for up to 2015 so it could be a little out of date. You can see how many ppb in your area, your state’s, and national standard.

The seven cancer-causing contaminants found were:
bromodichloromethane – formed by chlorine or disinfectants used to treat the water
chloroform – also formed by chlorine or disinfectants
chromium (hexavalent) – may be due to industrial pollution or natural occurrences in groundwater
dibromochloromethane – also formed by chlorine or other disinfectants; may cause problems during pregnancy
radiological contaminants – radium and uranium – can be leached from minerals or mining; increased risk of cancer; may harm fetus
tetrachloroethylene (perchloroethylene) – dry cleaning chemical, can cause cancer
total trihalomethanes (TTHMs) – this includes the ones above that are formed by chlorine and are cancer-causing contaminants.

The other contaminants found were
1,4-dioxane – a solvent from industrial waste water
barium – mineral in rocks, too much can cause cardio-vascular issues
bromoform – a TTHM
chlorate – byproduct of disinfection
chromium (total) – natural metal that can increase from industrial uses
fluoride – added to drinking water
haloacetic acids (HAA5) – from disinfectants like chlorine
nitrate – fertilizer chemical
strontium – a metal that can accumulate in the bones – can cause cancer and leukemia
vanadium – a metal used in steels and alloys; toxic in pregnancy and childhood

We had installed a filtering system when we first moved here along with a separate drinking water filter so I do not have to worry about contaminants.

Summer Skin Care

Health Issues, , , ,

Your largest organ is your skin. It is exposed. To everything. It dries out. It gets cuts and scrapes. It bruises. It wrinkles. Do you take care of yours?

Here are some tips from dermalogica.com for summer skin care.

1. Exfoliate. This removes dead skin cells and debris. It also helps it absorb moisturizers better. Do this before putting on moisturizer in the morning. Use a moisturizer with SPF. After exfoliating, the moisturizer helps seal the skin.

2. Hydrate. Use more intensive moisturizers a couple times a week. A skin hydrating booster can be applied after the toner and before the moisturizer to help keep your skin moist.

3. Drink water. If your body isn’t hydrated as well, it won’t make it to the skin level. If you drink coffee, triple the water intake.

4. Sunscreen. If you are outdoors a lot, make sure your skin is covered with the proper amount of SPF. Usually 30 is what you need. If you are in the sun, reapply every two hours.

5. Soothe. If you skin is over-exposed, you forgot sunscreen, or didn’t put on enough, you’ve already damaged your skin. You can use some cooling gels to help prevent it from peeling. It takes just one blistering sunburn to increase your chance of getting melanoma.

6. Repair. The UV light you expose your skin to causes damage, whether it’s wrinkles, spots or if you burned your skin. Use anti-aging products to fight back.

Healthy Eating Goals

Healthy Eating, , , , ,

So the Victor crew got side-tracked for a couple weeks sharing some rather unhealthy interesting foods from Japan. It’s time to get back on track. Here are some healthy ideas to help you reach your goals from fitness.gov.

Make half your plate fruits and vegetables.
Choose different colors of fruits and vegetables. The more colors the more likely you’ll get vitamins, minerals, and fiber.

Make half the grains you eat whole grains.
This is something we’ve talked here about before. Eat oatmeal for breakfast and you have a good chance of reaching this goal. Look for whole wheat breads instead of white. Try some different grains like quinoa or bulgur wheat.

Switch to lower fat milk.
The lower fat milks will have less saturated fat and fewer calories.

Vary your lean protein foods.
Not just meat but also consider peas, eggs, nuts, and seeds. Try using ground turkey for your burgers or meatloaf.

Look for lower sodium foods.
Check the labels and choose the lower sodium or no salt added varieties of soups, bread, and other items.

Drink water instead of sugary drinks.
Drink water or unsweetened beverages. That means to cut out soda, energy drinks, sports drinks.

Eat seafood.
Include fish and shellfish. As an adult, try to include eight ounces of seafood a week.

Cut back on solid fats.
This would include foods made using butter, margarine, shortening, or lard. This means cakes, cookies, desserts, processed meats, and ice cream.

Healthy Swaps

Healthy Eating, , ,

Here are some tips and swaps from Eat This, Not That! to help you lose 10 pounds.

Swap out soda for tea. Choose green tea over soda and save about 140 calories.

Drink 2 glasses of water. If you do this before a meal, you will curb your appetite.

Instead of fries, swap them for salad.

Eat dark chocolate. A small amount can keep that sweet tooth at bay.

Have soup as an appetizer. This will help you consume less during the meal.

Choose plain yogurt and add your own fruit.

Bring your lunch to work.

Keep a (healthy) snack stash.

Skip the cheese (on a sandwich or burger).

When it’s time to eat, sit down at the table and not on your feet. When you stand while eating you can eat as much as 30% more!