Advice on choosing health food and healthy foods and reading nutrition labels
Chris Robertson

Health food doesn’t need a definition, does it? We all know what
health food is it’s yogurt and granola, whole-grain cereal and
organically grown vegetables and fruit. It’s 100% natural, no
preservatives or dyes, unadulterated, pure. When you put all
that together, you should have healthy food, yet all too often,
what’s marketed as health food these days barely classifies as
food, let alone health food.

Take a look at one of our favorite health food choices – yogurt.
It hit supermarket shelves in the early seventies, though it had
been available before that in health food stores and
restaurants. Real yogurt has two ingredients: milk (whole, skim
or low fat) and live yogurt cultures. That’s health food –
calcium, vitamin D, vitamin A, protein. Next time you’re at the
supermarket, take a look at the dairy case. You’ll find row
after row of hyper-sweetened brightly colored rainbow swirled
and candy-sprinkled yogurt packaged in ways that appeal to our
littlest consumers – children. Millions of parents buy the
enticing packages, secure that because it’s yogurt, they’re
buying food that’s healthy for their children.

One look at the label, though, and it’s clear that these kiddy
yogurts (as well as most of the yogurt that’s marketed to
adults) are a far cry from heath food. Some of the most popular
yogurts for children contain anywhere from 3 to 10 added
teaspoons of sugar. Considering how many teaspoons of yogurt are
in a single serving, you might as well hand your child the sugar
bowl. In addition, most yogurts include “natural” ingredients
that have little to do with health food. Ingredients like pectin
(to thicken yogurt), carrageenan (a seafood extract that gives
some yogurts their body, and annatto (for color) add little
nutritionally to yogurt. They’re in the mix to serve one main
purpose: to help yogurt survive its trip from the factory to
your table.

You’ll find the same situation with other foods that originally
made their debut as health foods in the seventies. Granola has
become granola bars with chocolate chips and gooey caramel.
Whole wheat flour is bleached and denuded of its flavorful
kernels. Sunflower seeds are roasted in oil and salted. Even
brown rice comes in the instant variety.

Healthy food not health food

The secret to feeding your family (and yourself) a healthful
diet of healthy food is to read the labels. The United States
Food & Drug Administration has laid out strict guidelines for
nutritional labeling of all food products. The nutrition label
will tell you all you need to know to choose real health foods.
Some things to keep in mind when reading nutrition labels for
health foods:

* In the ingredient’s portion of the nutrition label,
ingredients are listed in order by amount. The ingredient that’s
listed first is the main ingredient, followed by the next
largest amount, etc.

* The nutrition facts label must list each of the required
nutrients even if the food provides 0% of the recommended daily
value.

* The nutrition facts label must list what portion of the food’s
calories is derived from fat, from sugar, from protein and from
carbohydrates. It will also break down the fat into saturated
and unsaturated fat.

Reading labels on everything you feed your family is the best
way to tell whether a food is really a health food – or just
masquerading as one.

About the author:

Chris Robertson is an author of Majon
International, one of the worlds MOST popular internet marketing companies on
the web. Visit this Food Website
and Majon’s Food
directory.

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3 Easy Tips to Keep Your Skin Healthy
Amie Gerlowski

There are plenty of articles out there about what to do to make your skin look young again. But what if you still have it? How do young women keep their skin looking the way it is now well into the future? The following five easy tips can help you keep your youthful glow.

1. Use Sunscreen, Never Tan. It’s hard for young women to resist the warm glow that a few hours of tanning can bring. But the damage that it does beneath the surface accumulates over time–ultimately leaving the skin dull and thin. By the time premature aging becomes evident, significant amounts of damage has taken place below the surface. Rather than a week of beauty, think of long-term beauty. If you really want to give your skin an added glow, try shimmering lotions and makeups. Or, for a darker look, try artificial tanners (but be careful, they can sometimes leave you looking more orange than tan). Don’t forget that you can experience the damaging effects of the sun even if you aren’t deliberately trying to tan. Make applying sunscreen part of your daily routine. Purchasing moisturizers with sunscreen already in them can help. Remember, only 15 minutes of sun exposure each day provides you with the vitamin D you need to stay healthy.

2. Eat the Right Foods. You’ve always heard the phrase “You are what you eat” and that is exactly right when talking about your skin! What you eat is not just relevant to your weight. It also affects the health of your skin. Clinical studies have shown that eating diets rich in fatty acids and antioxidants can help skin retain its youthful appearance. Foods good for your skin include fish, vegetables, whole grains and fruits including all kinds of berries. Antioxidants in the diet may help reduce the appearance of age spots. Fatty acids are one of the components of metabolic processes within the body that are also integral to the maintenance of healthy skin. Making these foods a part of your daily diet can benefit you for years to come.

3. Clean and Moisturize! Don’t neglect your skin. For normal skin, a gentle daily cleanser is all you need. Using a washcloth needlessly pulls and tears at the skin. Cleanse your skin with your fingers using gentle, circular motions, paying particular attention not to stretch the delicate eye area. Moisturizing the skin is also important to protect it from the effects of the elements including wind, pollution, and sun (if it is a sunscreen moisturizure). Not only does it protect the skin from the outside, but also helps it to retain its natural moisture from the inside. Keep in mind that spending a lot of money is not necessary. If your skin is oily or you have a problem with acne, use products designed specifically for your skin type. You may want to consult a dermatologist to seek prescription treatments. Never attempt to pop your pimples. This will increase the size of your pores and possibly cause scaring.

Essentially, if your skin is young, value it! Taking simple precautionary steps can help keep it that way. Think of the benefits of having healthy skin in the future. Use sunscreen, eat healthy, and following a daily skin regimine. You don’t need alot of money to keep your skin healthy. All it takes is common sense and good lifestyles choices.

About the Author

Amie Gerlowski writes about skin care topics such as skin doctors and tanning. Learn more at http://www.feelconfident.co.uk .

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