Children are quite impressionable. They use the behaviors of people around them as their guide for most behaviors. Learn to be a healthy role model for them.

What Is a Role Model?

They say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. Often we don’t realize that what they are imitating is not necessarily the best until children demonstrate it for us. A child who sits in front of the television all day or one who wants to eat a lot of fast food could just be mimicking what they have seen others do.

Parents are a child’s first role models. A role model doesn’t need to be perfect – just someone who is willing to try to be their best before their children and the rest of the world.

You never know what a child might see and imitate. To that end, here are some ideas of how you can set a good example for them to follow. Don’t worry, as long as you are purposed to do what you can to teach your kids the better way, even a mistake or a setback can be viewed as a lesson.

Tips to Become a Healthy Role Model

* Eat all your meals. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but some people forget that. When you skip breakfast, you set yourself and your body up for difficult day. Your metabolism stays sluggish and you might even be tired throughout the day. Even if you only eat something small, such as a couple of pieces of toast or a piece of fruit, eat something.

* Choose healthy snacks. It is easy to stop at a drive-thru window for an ice cream cone or a sugary snack. Keep more healthy choices around: fresh fruit, chopped vegetables and dip, yogurt with granola, and fruit juice. Make the healthy choice yourself and encourage your kids to do the same.

* Watch the calories in your beverages. It is easy to drink at least half of the day’s caloric allowance in your beverages alone. One eight-ounce glass of soda has about 120 calories, and most people drink much larger portions, such as fast-food restaurants. When you choose unsweetened beverage choices and water, you don’t need to measure your intake. The body needs as much water as you can give it each day. If you want something tastier, add a juice ice cube or some lemon.

* Get your sleep. Going to bed at a decent hour lets children know that a good night’s sleep is important for health. You are more alert the next day when the body has had proper time to rest.

* Get active together. It is easy to sit and watch your children play, but they are more likely to get off the couch if you go with them. Participate in group activities with your kids to stress the importance of staying active.

The best way to be a good role model is to start with yourself. Show your children how you live a healthier life and they will want to follow suit

Cancer is a disease that can rob you of your body, one cell at a time, but you can fight cancer, beginning with what you eat. Here are some cancer-fighting tips to heighten your nutrition level.

Whether you have received a diagnosis of cancer or have a family history, there is one thing that you can always strive to do to affect your situation – change your diet. We are what we eat.

Good nutrition is an important part of life. The body is a wonderful machine that knows how to get the most from its fuel sources to keep itself running in good shape. Eighty or more percent of our nutrients come from the foods that we eat. The body can manufacture some of the substances that it needs, but most need to be ingested.

It is the components of these foods that affect changes inside the body. In fact, food is often a main source of the problem when the body begins to break down. For instance, eating too much fat can set off a chain reaction in the body that leads to obesity, heart disease, cancer and even a fatal outcome.

Use food as your weapon to fight back against cancer, the disease that knows no gender, age, or socioeconomic status. Here are some foods that will help you to fight back against cancer statistics:

* Broccoli – This has been called a “superfood.” That means that it is a well-rounded food that offers a complete nutrient profile. As far as cancer goes, all cruciferous veggies (including cauliflower and Brussels sprouts) contain indole-3 carbinol. This substance has been shown to retard the growth of cancer cells. It also helps lower the odds of getting breast cancer. Colon cancer is also thwarted by another component called sulfophorane.

* Fish – Fish is a food that contains omega-3 fatty acids. These are healthy fats that work to protect the heart, and also reduce inflammation in the body. These fatty acids along with other vitamins help to protect against prostate cancer.

* Tomatoes – Technically a tomato is a fruit because of the seeds.  This food contains lycopene, a powerful antioxidant. It is the job of antioxidants to fight free radical damage in the body, which can lead to all sorts of cancers. The concentration of lycopene is greater when tomatoes are cooked. Eat them in stews, soups, and casseroles.

* Tea – Certain teas, such as white tea and green tea, contain substances that help inhibit cancers in areas such as the prostate, breast, lungs, ovaries, skin and bladder. Green tea also has antioxidant properties.

* Vitamins – All sorts of vitamins are needed for new cell growth and to boost the immune system to fight off disease. These include vitamins A, C, E and the B ones. Taking a multivitamin ensures that you get what you need if you don’t get it from the food you are eating.

Cancer can be a ravaging disease, but you can fight back with the above nutrition tips.

Some people just don’t want to eat meat, but getting enough protein in their diet can be a problem for those who do not eat animal sources.

Protein is one of the most important components of the human body. It makes up muscle tissue, and is instrumental in creating enzymes and their resulting hormones and other substances. Without it, the body couldn’t function.

Most people get protein from animal sources:  beef, pork, veal, lamb, poultry. When you decide to live a vegetarian or vegan lifestyle, there have to be other sources for you.

Before we go further, let’s describe what makes someone a vegan or a vegetarian. First, there are different categories:

* Vegetarian – Describes anyone who doesn’t eat meat of the varieties named above.

* Lacto-vegetarian – Someone who does not eat meat, but eats dairy products such as cheese and milk.

* Ovo-vegetarian – Someone who eats eggs, but not other meat sources.

* Vegan – Someone who doesn’t eat meat, dairy or eggs. They usually also try not to use products created from animals such as shoes or clothing.

Other Protein Sources

The world is full of protein. For the average person, getting their protein if they eat meat is not usually a problem. If anything, they get too much protein.

For the person who doesn’t eat meat, this can be a bit trickier but we have solutions.

* Legumes – This is another name for beans. Beans represent plant protein. The good thing about plant protein is that it doesn’t contain as much fat, especially saturated fat, as animal sources. Include beans in at least two meals a day.

* Nuts – Nuts contain more fat than beans, but it is the good kind of fat. Some contain omega-3 fatty acids. Try eating almonds, walnuts, pistachios, Brazil nuts and peanuts. Having one or two servings of nuts a day can provide you with healthy fats. Some nuts also come in oils that can be used to create salad dressings or used to cook.

* Dairy products – If you are a lacto-vegetarian, stick with low-fat or fat-free dairy products. This way you get the protein and vitamins without all the added fat.

* Soy – Soy is also plant protein. Consider eating soybeans, miso (soybean paste) and tofu.

* Whole grains – Grains provide protein and also a good source of carbohydrates. Try to use whole grains that contain all three parts of the grain including rye, rolled oats, quinoa, millet, bulgur, buckwheat and the like. Avoid white flour products because of the sugar content and high glycemic index.

* Algae – You may have heard that pond scum is all the rage lately. We are specifically talking about spirulina and chlorella. They have a high plant protein content and are a constant subject of scientific research to find a better source of protein.

If you are you a vegan or a vegetarian, you don’t have to worry about getting sufficient protein.

Learning how to incorporate more good fats in your diet might begin with flax seed or oil.

Omega-3 fatty acid is one of the best sources of fatty acids that you can have. Unfortunately, most people don’t even get half of the good fats that they need each day. Omega-3 fatty acids are quite beneficial to the body. They decrease inflammation, promote pliability in the vessels of the body and protect the body against heart disease.

While there are foods that contain omega-3 fatty acids, some also contain omega-6 fatty acids, which are not so health friendly. Actually the ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids is best when it is 1:1. Most of us get way more of the former than the latter.

One way to help increase your omega-3 stores is to add flax to your diet. Flax is also known as linseed. It is an annual plant that has beautiful blue flowers. The fruit of the plant contains the flax seeds.

The seeds can be used as they are, ground or in their oil form. There are two kinds of flax seeds: yellow and brown. The brown ones contain higher amounts of omega-3 fatty acids.

Flax seeds and flax oil (also known as linseed oil) have a variety of benefits. They have high fiber content. Just two tablespoons can alleviate constipation. They help to regulate bowel movements.

Flax seed also has ALA (alpha-linoleic acid), one type of omega-3 fatty acid. This can be converted to EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) in the presence of the enzyme delta-6-desaturase. The EPA form is most beneficial to the body.

Because of the high fiber content, flax seed is beneficial to the body in other ways. It helps reduce cholesterol. Just three tablespoons of flax seed a day can make an enormous difference.

How to Incorporate Flax

Now that we know what flax can do for you, it is time to find out how to get it into your food. It is really very simple and here’s how.

* Use ground flax seeds – These can be sprinkled on plain yogurt or over your hot cereal in the morning. Go easy at first until you get used to the taste. Ground flax seeds can be mixed with water or juice to drink a portion of your daily fiber instead of a fiber pill or fiber powder.

* Enhance your recipes – Ground flax seed can be added to muffin mixes, pancake mixes, dips and salads. Using too much can encourage constipation. Try a little at a time until your body gets used to it.

* Try cereal – You can buy flax seed cereal if you want another way to have your omega-3s. Eat a bowl a day to increase your heart health.

Increase your heart health, lower your cholesterol and increase your healthy fat intake with flax. It is a beneficial and versatile food.

Nutrition can be a confusing subject and deciding what to eat or what not to eat can take a lot of study. One of the biggest questions about nutrition is how to distinguish between the types of fats.

Food is the main fuel source for the body. Without a steady stream of food, the body misses out on certain nutrients. It can compensate for a while, but without proper fuel, it will eventually it will begin to falter in its functioning, which can lead to all sorts of health problems in the body.

When it comes to fats, some people avoid eating them because they have heard that they are bad, but eating a low-fat diet can cause metabolic problems in the body. According to the food pyramid, we need fats in our diets each day, it is just a matter of which fats.

The Skinny on Fats

Fat is a necessary nutrient. The body contains fat in different places. Fat that surrounds the organs is called visceral fat. It protects the organs from harm.

Fat is also needed in cellular membranes. Each cell has a protective membrane to filter through nutrients. This membrane is divided into two layers: a hydrophobic (water-hating) layer and a hydrophilic (water-loving) layer. This allows fat molecules like lipoproteins to penetrate the membrane to transport nutrients to the cells.

Fat is also used to cover nerve cells with a myelin sheath. This allows for faster nerve conduction across the muscles and protects the nerves from damage.

Therefore, fat is important, but you need to have the right kinds. Here is a list of the types of fats you will most likely encounter.

Good Fats

* Polyunsaturated fats – These are some of the best fats that you can have. They consist of those found in fish like salmon. Omega-3 fatty acids fall into this category. They can be found in certain oils such as safflower and sunflower.

* Monounsaturated fats – These are also termed “good fats.”  They are found in nuts, olive oil and canola oil. They come in handy when cooking, for example when sautéing vegetables or lean meats.

Bad Fats

* Saturated fats – They are unhealthy for you. These fats contribute to increased body fat and to potential plaque build-up in the arteries of the body. This category includes fried foods, fatty meats, and full-fat dairy products.

* Trans fats – These are also called partially hydrogenated fats. They are created when liquid oil is injected with hydrogen to give it a semi-solid consistency at room temperature. They are found in some packaged sweets and fried foods.

Good fats help to lower bad cholesterol (LDL) and raise the good cholesterol (HDL) panel. Just the opposite is true of bad fats. They raise the bad cholesterol (LDL) and lower the good (HDL), leading to increased incidence of obesity, diabetes, heart disease and stroke.

Increasing your levels of certain fats can either make you healthier or give your body a turn for the worse. Choose better fats to lower your risk of certain conditions, including cancer.

One of the big questions is how much fat we should consume in our diets. Some people agree that we should follow low-fat diets, and others say that this limits the healthy fats. If you want to learn more, here are some tips to help you get the fat you need, but not the fats that you should exclude.

Eating is a favorite pastime for many people. Most of the important occasions in life revolve around food. We eat when we are hungry, we eat when we are happy, and we eat when we are sad. Two out of three can be bad depending on the types of fats being eaten.

So here are some fat-friendly tips to help you get the fat that you need in your diet without going too far in eating the bad saturated fats.

Some people categorize fats as good or bad, but we are going to get a little more technical and use their real names so you know what to look for on food labels. There are good fats: polyunsaturated fats and monounsaturated fats. There are also bad fats: trans fats and saturated fats.

Let’s begin with the fats that are going to be healthier for you to eat. Think about nuts. Nuts are a great source of polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats. Eating a handful can be a filling snack because they also contain fiber.

Eat some beans. Beans are a good source of plant protein, but without the saturated fat that accompanies most meat protein sources. At least once a week, try substituting beans for meat as your main dish for dinner/and or lunch.

Cut back the fat in dairy foods. Dairy contains vitamins and minerals that the body needs, but also fat that the body does not need. Have milk and cheese, but try to choose lower fat or no-fat varieties. If you want to use cheese in a recipe, reach for low-fat block cheese. The cellulose in shredded cheese keeps it from clumping and also from melting well in casseroles and other dishes.

Use polyunsaturated oils when cooking. If your recipe calls for using butter to sauté your food, use olive oil or canola oil instead. Even better would be to use a non-stick pan and eliminate added fat altogether.

Make your own salad dressings. Many of us need to have a little dressing with our salad. Lighten your touch with an oil and vinegar mix that is infused with herbs. You can use a cruet and make your own at home. Try flax seed oil or walnut oil to add a nutty flavor to the dressing.

Visit the butcher. At the butcher you can select your cuts of meat and also have them trim off all the excess fat. To add flavor, marinade the meat with spices before cooking.

There are ways to limit your fat, but not the flavor of your meals. Eat your favorite foods but with a healthy twist.

Obesity is an epidemic in this country. It affects millions of adults, but it is also affecting children of all ages. Here are some tips to help your child shed the pounds.

We are alarmingly becoming a fat nation. Food choices combined with inactivity have led to unhealthy bodies, even in our children. It really hits home for us and our children when they get teased at school or can’t perform some activities that their thinner classmates can accomplish.

The important thing now is to help them restore their health. With it comes the confidence and pride in themselves as worthwhile people, but, their health now and in the future takes top priority here.

Losing weight is a combination of proper diet and exercise. By diet, we mean eating foods that will nourish your body. You don’t have to go on the proverbial “diet” to accomplish this. Simply changing your eating habits now is the first and basic step.

Most schools have more than regular cafeteria foods. They have counters serving hamburgers, pizza and other fast foods, and vending machines with candy and soda. That pizza your child eats may have several hundred calories and contain lots of fat. By changing that one meal to something more wholesome eat weekday, they can lose a pound or more each week.

Much of the foods we eat are poor in nutrition. That means that we gain the calories but not much else. The body needs a mix of food to provide vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and amino acids for daily cellular upkeep. Without it, we are not doing our bodies any good.

Exercise helps us to burn the fat that is stored. Regular activity each day can help your child begin to see results. It can be difficult at first, especially if they are really overweight, but over time it will be easier and more fun to exercise.

Here are some tips to get you started:

* Make changes to family meals – Even if one child is overweight in the family, singling them out by making them a special meal will only lead to secret raids on the refrigerator and binge eating when they are away from you. Everyone in the family can benefit from healthier choices.

* Move as a family – Play in the back yard; ride bikes in the park; go for a walk and discuss your day. All of these choices involve everyone getting fit, and it promotes family togetherness.

* Teach your children about food – This can be an instructive lesson that can be taught through cooking. Kids love to cook. Show them what foods to use (wholesome ones) for creating meals. Getting them involved in their own weight loss empowers them. Show them a copy of the food pyramid, the well-known illustration to the proper daily servings of foods in each food group.

If you have a child who is overweight, begin today to change their lives for a healthier future.

No one wants to see cellulite on their hips, abdomen, thighs and arms. Here are some ways to help you get rid of it.

Cellulite is the dimply appearance your skin can have, which is caused by fat beneath the surface of the skin. The skin is undergirded by a network of fibers called collagen and elastin. They provide the strength and framework for your skin. When skin is firm, these fibers are close together, supporting and keeping fat in its place.

This framework can get stretched or weakened as we age or as we gain weight. As a result, fat can creep between the spaces and poke out, giving a dimpled appearance in certain areas of the body where gained is typically gained first.

Reducing the size of fat cells reduces cellulite and tightens and tones your skin again. Here’s where you begin.

Exercises for Cellulite

The largest muscles burn the most fat. These would also be the muscles that get that dimply cellulite – the leg muscles.

* Squats – These increase strength in the quadriceps muscles, the gluteals and the hamstring muscles. Don’t be afraid to use heavy weights. These muscles can take it without looking overly muscular like a bodybuilder.

* Lunges – This exercise moves one leg in front of the other. It targets the hip flexors, gluteals, and the front of the thighs.

* Abductor exercises – We often forget that there is a side to our legs until we put on that bathing suit. Exercises that move the leg away from the body work the outer thigh. Performing these exercises in the pool will increase your balance and the amount of resistance, making them highly effective.

Dietary Changes

Exercise will help burn the fat already stored on your body, but to keep that fat burning, we need to reduce the amount of fat entering the body through our diet.

* Fresh fruit and vegetables – These foods are not only good for you, but also good to you. They contain antioxidants and also nutrients that the body needs. Eating them will assist the body in eliminating toxins that have built up and slowed the body’s metabolic processes.

* Whole grains – They provide fiber. Fiber improves digestion and elimination of toxins. Also, it helps remove fat from your diet. Whole grains keep blood sugar steady so you have fewer cravings for sweets and sweet snacks between meals.

What are you doing to reduce your cellulite? You can use pills and potions, but dietary changes and exercises are a healthier fix for the problem

The winter is over and now you are ready for the fresh air of spring. Make sure that your body is ready, too. Here are some ideas for detoxifying your body.

What Is Detoxification?

The body can get filled with toxins. We encounter toxins in the food we eat, our homes, the environment, and internally. Did you know that you could have several pounds of undigested red meat in your colon right now?

Detoxification is the process whereby you rid your body of those toxins and help it to work properly. Toxins can build up in the tissues of your body and lead to poor functioning of your organs. The main filtering organs of the body are the liver, intestines, skin and kidneys. When they are overtaxed by toxin build-up, you might experience illness, irritability, weight gain, weight loss or depression.

Detoxification Methods

There is something that you can do to help your body feel just as clean and fresh on the inside as you want to feel on the outside. While your body has a natural filtering and detoxifying system, sometimes it needs help when the burden is too much.

* Body brushing – This method involves using a natural bristle brush to remove dead skin cells and debris from the outside of your body. Pores can easily get clogged up and regular brushing can remove them. It can also help to remove cellulite. Perform the technique in the morning while you are still dry and then shower to remove the impurities.

* Massage – Ancient oriental medicine believes that the body is governed by energy. This energy flows throughout the body, allowing it to maintain a healing balance. When the energy is blocked, that is when you get disease. Regular massage can work to remove the blockages that cause problems in the body. Toxins can flow into the bloodstream and be eliminated from the body.

* Diet – The culprit of some toxins is what we eat. Added preservatives can build up in the body and potentially harm us. By eating more whole foods like fresh fruits, vegetables, whole grains and legumes, the body can remove excess toxins and get back to functioning normally. You gain more energy, increased immunity and faster digestion. This can all lead to weight loss as well.

* Exercise – Exercise gets the blood flowing. It increases the metabolism so more fat is burned for energy. This also releases toxins into the bloodstream to be excreted by the body. As a by-product, you feel better, gain mental clarity and increased cardiovascular health. Sweating releases toxins through the skin to lighten the load.

Are you looking to help your body work more efficiently? Maybe what you need is to detoxify the system. The foregoing are ways that you can begin to do just that.

The food additives and preservatives that are supposed to make our lives easier could be having bad effects on our bodies.

What Are Preservatives?

Some cakes, cookies and boxed foods can last for at least a year before they expire due to the addition of preservatives or food additives.

Some common preservatives in the past have been salt and sugar. Have you seen hams hanging from rafters in the general store? They were “curing” or being preserved using salt, sugar or nitrates (found in hot dogs and lunch meat). The preservatives used today are a combination of chemicals that can be harmful in large doses (some, in small ones) in the body.

Harmful Effects of Preservatives and Food Additives

Sugar and salt are simple compounds. They can be found in nature and the body is used to them. The substances that are used today as sugar substitutes and salt-like additives are a different story. Here are a few examples:

* Glutamates – Specifically, MSG (monosodium glutamate) has caused quite a stir. It is quite salty and can raise blood pressure. It has been removed from many foods because it can cause palpitations, headaches and dizziness. Some food companies still use it as a meat tenderizer.

* Nitrates – These are used to preserve meats like luncheon meat and hot dogs. The additive also tastes kind of salty. Too many nitrates or nitrites have been known to be a carcinogen.

* Sulfites – These are found in jarred foods, wine and vinegars. They can lead to headaches, allergies, palpitations and joint pain.

* Artificial sweeteners – We have all heard about aspartame, but what about Splenda® or acesulfame K? Some sweeteners that claim to be as sweet as sugar without the extra calories are using a mixture of harmful chemicals in the creation process. Using these chemicals can lead to allergies and also obesity.

* Dyes – If you’ve ever read a food label, you might see at least one dye mentioned. There are reds, blues and yellows. These dyes might not be as innocent as first thought. They have been suspected as carcinogens, growth retardants and also producing allergies.

Read your labels. What we put into our bodies may not be as simple as reading the front of the package. The ingredient list may tell a different story that is more detrimental.