Eye Health: There is no perception without attention.

Optics have been studied for a millennia and as the ancient Greeks taught us, the process of seeing is not an isolated function of the eyes, but a dynamic action of the mind. Such a sophisticated statement in more primitive times, and yet more emphasis is still being placed on 20/20 sight than on how we process our world.

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Holiday Nutrition Strategies

Plan ahead

Plan your holiday healthy eating and indulgences but keep the plan realistic. Make weight maintenance, not weight loss, your goal. Think about the situations you'll face and what you can do to minimize the damage. Planning is key to enjoying indulgences wisely without gorging yourself or throwing your healthy habits out the window.
Make dietary adjustments
If you know you'll be attending a holiday party, for example, adjust your eating accordingly, or put in a little extra time at the gym. However, avoid skipping meals. If you allow yourself to become too hungry, your self-control will falter. You can also experiment with healthier versions of your favorite holiday foods.

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Chia Seeds

You know the cute little Chia Pets that seem to pop up every year around the holiday time. Spread the seeds, water, and watch them grow “hair” over a few short weeks. The hair is actually the sprouts of the chia seed. Yes, they’re edible, though I’m not sure I’d want to eat the ones grown on one of those clay figurines.

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Choosing Healthy Fats

For years, it’s been preached to us the benefits of a low-fat diet. We’ve been told that reducing the amount of fat we eat is the key to losing weight, managing cholesterol, and preventing health problems. But when it comes to your mental and physical health, simply “cutting the fat” just doesn’t cut it.

Research shows that, more than the total amount of fat in your diet, it’s the types of fat you eat that really matter. Bad fats increase your cholesterol and your risk of certain diseases, while good fats have the opposite effect, protecting your heart and supporting overall health. In fact, good fats—such as omega-3 fats—are absolutely essential not only to your physical health but your emotional well-being.

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Back to School Supplies checklist: Don’t forget the Dentist.

You’ve picked up the grade supply list from your school. They have everything your child needs to get started for the new school year. You may even have gotten a letter sent home to update annual health forms. But, where is the reminder to visit the dentist? Your teeth are an important part of your health, a necessary part of hygiene and need to be protected.

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Steps for Eating Healthy in the New Year

When setting a new goal, I believe in stating my intentions rather than making a resolution.  By stating my intention, and repeating it over and over, my behavior will actually begin to change in a way that supports my intention.  For instance try this:  My NY’s resolution is to lose 10 pounds by March.  In your mind, what does that conjure up?  Maybe you envision, hours of gym time or maybe plain tasteless food? Do you think about all the treats you can’t have? Now try this:  I intend on eating healthier in 2012.  How do these words make you feel?  Better, I bet!!!  So let’s all say it: “I intend on eating healthier in 2012!” and here are some tips on how to do it!

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Lice Awareness

Back to school means new teachers, a different schedule, reuniting with classmates, and homework, however, the new school year can also be a prime time for the possibility of “head lice.” Here is a list of signs that might indicate that your child has head lice.

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It’s Halloween! And guess what?

Its not just candy that gives you cavities.

 

You need three things to get a dental cavity (dental decay):

1. Bacteria in the form of plaque — the whitish looking thing you see on your teeth,

2. An acidic environment — which occurs when the bacteria acts on carbohydrates, and

3. A susceptible host.

 

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Slow Down!!

Are you a lightning-quick eater or do you dine leisurely like many other cultures? The answer may play a role in your weight. A new study released in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition suggests that people who chew their food more – 40 times as opposed to the typical 15 times – consume 12% less calories. Less calories in means more weight lost.

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Summer Temptations

Summer is filled with so many fun opportunities to get outdoors and relax.  However, the summer months can bring on new food temptations that are difficult to fight.  Vacations, ball games, amusement parks and maybe even bi-weekly visits to the local ice cream parlor.  This is life!!  This is summer!!  Indulging and enjoying these summer treats should be part of the fun.   But there are ways we can still enjoy all the summer fun and treats without sacrificing our health and our waistlines!  Plan ahead!   Tempting foods are harder to resist when you don’t have a plan.  If you get too hungry at an event it can be very easy to fall for the foods high in fats and sugars.  That’s why it is a good idea to map things out first.

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