Author: Neil Guerrero

Never did I think I would see the day when I could actually call my mother a "senior citizen." Though she is quite beautiful, and looks far younger than her years-I forget that maintaining a mature body takes a good deal of attention. Though we come from a family with a history of cancer and hypertension, she has found ways to reverse certain conditions she's had, while increasing her energy level. The advice listed herein isn't rocket science. In fact, you've heard a few of these things on every talk show known to man. But to have living proof that we are to a great degree in charge of our own health is quite remarkable. None of us in my family are in perfect health. But here are some things that my mother has done which-over the course of a few years-have improved her quality of life.

Flaxseed Oil

Not long ago, my mother began taking flaxseed oil. I had heard of flaxseed oil, but didn't realize that it had so many healing properties, though it is mainly attributed to battling heart disease. In any case, upon making this a part of her health regimen, she has had good reports on her heart. But in addition to placing this supplement into her routine, she has also altered her diet.

Out with the Old, In with the New…

Having grown up on really good soul food, I can say that I miss Mom's fried chicken. But the truth is that she just doesn't fry it as often anymore. Instead, she bakes or broils. And she has found some really delicious ways to incorporate more raw fruits and vegetables foods into her diet. With her blood pressure once teetering on "uh-oh", she realized that a salt substitute (and more water) was in order. And instead of heavy fats, she cooks with olive oil. I'm certain that all of this sounds like a public service announcement. But I have literally watched the fried foods dry up around her kitchen. It's not easy to trade great taste for better health. But she's shown me …

Salmon is good for heart health since it is a food that contains Omega-3 fatty acids. This food has been known to lower high blood pressure, and help the blood avoid harmful clotting. And not only is the food a super source of Omega-3's, but also contains carotenoids. The carotenoid contained in salmon is an excellent antioxidant called astaxanthin. This carotenoid has been known to be very cleansing to the body, providing protection to the heart, it's main goal.

Nothing is better than a bowl of oatmeal! Oatmeal is a wonderful breakfast food. Oats are another source of Omega-3 fatty acids. So if you are like me, and don't care for salmon or seafood, eat oats! Oats provide you with needed potassium, which keeps the heartbeat regulated and strong. It is a rich fiber source too, on top of everything else. The reason that this food is so supportive in heart health is that it lowers your bad cholesterol. To experience this effect from oatmeal, you need to eat it three times a week or better. It is great topped with fruits such as berries, apples, and bananas. Whole oats are especially good topped with apples.

Olive oils are another great source for the heart. This is due to the fact that olive oils contain the healthier monounsaturated fats instead of the more saturated and trans-fats types. Just like oatmeal, olive oils lower LDL cholesterol.

The avocado is another supportive food to heart health. This vegetable has monounsaturated fat as well, and therefore lower the bad LDL cholesterol levels. Avocados help your body to absorb Vitamin A and the lycopene you receive from eating tomatoes. These two carotenoids are very supportive of heart health.

Tomatoes are another heart health food in that they contain many many nutrients, one of them being lycopene. Tomatoes are also one of those foods that will lower your LDL cholesterol, and also has a water-soluble vitamin known as niacin. Niacin is a naturally occuring substance in the tomato that helps not only lower cholesterol, but triglycerides as well. So your entire lipid panel will improve …

We can't stop being amused when we see in the news that people is so candid that they try the most bizarre ways to improve their health, playing a risky game where they jeopardize their bodies and sometimes their lives. Here are the most bizarre therapies that people ever used:

-A famous Spanish doctor, a TV star named Dr Rosado, came up with some strange ideas about how improve people's health. He crossed the line when he recommended to burn children's foreheads with cigarettes bums to improve their intelligence. He spent a considerable time in prison, but some people really tried the treatment wit their kids, with terrible consequences.

-The ionized bracelets. Manufactured originally by Q-Ray, this bracelet supposes to help curing diverse pains and enhance vitality; all through the process of ionize them. Funny thing, after an investigation, authorities discovered that the bracelets were not really ionized, so they may the company pay million of dollars for wrong advertising.

-The biotape was a popular product at a time, and it promised to relieve pain. It was a tape made of Mylar, a futuristic material used at the space program. These days, the company only can advertise that the product only can help us to fix our chi problems, whatever that is.

-The venom of bees as cure for many diseases, including breast cancer, is a practice that is somehow very extended and very dangerous as well. Self-injecting bee's venom ca produce even death if the subject is allergic.

-The cleansing diet using lemons and limes without ingesting other aliments is an example of dangerous bizarre ideas to promote health. Ingesting only lemons and limes alone will produce an imbalance on a diet and serious health problems, including a bad constipation and malnutrition.

-In some countries people swear than menstruation blood cures many skin problems, as callus or pimples. It is a myth, and very disgusting.

-The practice of applying a candle burning in a plate over the ears to relieve sinus headaches and migraines can bring serious burns to many people who tried it. The goal of the treatment …

When our family recently took a 7,000 mile road trip across the United States, one of our biggest challenges was trying to eat a healthy, well balanced, low calorie diet while out on the road. Finding whole grains and fresh produce in large cities was easy but almost impossible in many of the rural diners we visited where nearly everything was fried and then served up on white bread.

Since part of the fun of driving along old two-lane highways is sampling local cuisine, we figured out how to eat reasonably healthy while still occasionally indulging ourselves. Here are a few tips that worked for us.

Say no to soft drinks
Our family hardly ever drinks soft drinks as a rule which is why it was pretty easy for us to just ask for ice water and unsweetened iced tea with our meals. These zero calorie beverages kept us hydrated and help prevent overeating too.

Say no to fries
Almost every restaurant we ate at served french fries on the side. While this was OK for my husband (who was conducting a cross-country fry sauce experiment), my teen and I didn't want the calories and often choose low calorie sides instead. Most diners and restaurants will substitute fresh fruit, broiled veggies, side salad, or cottage cheese for just a dollar more.

Shared desserts
For local diners and roadhouses that offer regionally famous desserts we simply had to try, we often ordered just one dessert and divided it between the three of us. This was an easy way to let us sample these treats without adding 600 calories (or more) to our day.

Modified diner sandwiches
We ate a lot of diner sandwiches on our road trip and got in the habit of automatically looking for ways to boost the nutrition here while scaling back the calories. Some of our strategies we used included ordering sandwiches with lean meats (such as turkey), asking for wheat bread (which surprisingly was tough to find), ordering without cheese, asking for condiments on the side, or asking for extra vegetables. For high calorie sandwiches such …

Are you on the hunt for healthier homemade alternatives to store-bought foods? You are not alone. Of course, the meal or side dish has to be low in fat and sodium, too. Oh, and uncomplicated ingredients along with a quick prep time is essential. Can I interest you in a shamefully simple chicken pot pie or delicious yellow rice and orzo side dish?

The rice dish is low in sodium, and utilizes turmeric, which is much less expensive than saffron. You can make either of these recipes for your family in a jiff.

No More Store-Bought Chicken Pot Pie

One of my favorite meals is chicken pot pie. It is a great comfort food as well. Many moons ago, I actually bought chicken pot pie at the grocery store. That was before I became a voracious label reader. Not only was the pot pie I liked over-the-top high in sodium and fat, the price kept rising ridiculously. Time to find a healthful alternative I could live with.

After experimenting and tweaking a variety of family recipes, many of which were overly complicated for my busy schedule, I finally made a healthier pot pie I loved. It is inexpensive to make, and you can change up the veggies if you get bored.

Try not to use canned vegetables if you can help it. The sodium is ultra high in canned veggies and honestly defeats the purpose of the recipe. I like to use leftover chicken in my pot pie. Feel free to use up leftover vegetables you have on hand, too.

Jiffy Chicken Pot Pie

What You Will Need – Makes 6 servings

2 cups frozen mixed vegetables (or leftover veggies)

1 cup cooked chicken (cubed or chunks)

1 can (10.5 oz) cream of chicken soup (sodium/fat free)

1 cup Bisquick® mix

1/2 cup milk

1 egg

Pinch of fresh-ground pepper

Glass pie plate (ungreased)

Cooking Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. In the pie plate, combine the soup, chicken, and pepper. Mix until blended. In a separate bowl, stir the milk, egg, and Bisquick® together. Cover the soup, vegetables …

If you have a child that is underweight, it is important to feed them healthy foods packed with fat, calories and nutrition. Unfortunately, the media and Michelle Obama have made it appear that the nation is facing an epidemic when it comes to over weight children. While that may be true to some degree, there is also an issue with underweight children in this country and many families are suffering through every meal trying to get their child to eat.

Dinner time at our house has become a struggle with my daughter. She’s very thin and eats very little. We’ve tried begging, bargaining, arguing. You name it, we’ve tried it. Nothing really works to get our daughter to eat more than a few bites. On occasion, she’ll eat an entire meal and surprise us but this is not the norm in our house. She’ll gladly eat an entire donut after refusing to eat dinner but that’s just not healthy either. She’ll eat fruit all day but she’s not gaining any weight and fruit has a lot of sugar.

Here’s a list of calorie packed healthy foods for children that if they eat even just a little, you’ll feel good.

Fage Yogurt. Fage Yogurt has 20 grams of fat in one single serving container of plain yogurt. We add agave syrup for flavor but you can substitute honey or maple syrup and get a similar sweet taste. Agave has a lower glycemic index then other choices so we prefer it. Fage Yogurt contains live active yogurt cultures. These yogurt cultures have proven health benefits for children and adults.

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies. Homemade oatmeal raisin cookies have both fat and nutrition. There are about 100 calories per serving and about 5 grams of fat. Substitute raisins with cranberries, dried cherries or dried blueberries if your child does not like raisins.

French Toast. Use the healthiest whole grain bread you find and add heavy cream instead of milk to your recipe. This will add fat and calories to an already healthy breakfast. Top the french toast with cinnamon and agave syrup for flavor. …

Tax policy in the United States is one of the most contentious subjects around, especially as the powers that be attempt to create, or modify, policy to enhance, enlarge or just fix the healthcare system in the United States. Regardless of your opinion on the Healthcare debate, the changes that come out will likely have a profound effect on your way of life, as well as your pocketbook.

As mentioned in other articles of mine, I am not opposed to tax increases as long they are logical or fill a need not being filled elsewhere in the economy. That is kind of the point of government in a capitalist society anyway, to fill needs for the public that are not being filled by the market as a whole.

In my opinion, the healthcare debate is equivalent to the debate about infrastructure investment. If this debate were about rebuilding bridges, I do not think many people would argue about the need for it. But the debate about healthcare has been soiled by the stereotype that anyone receiving a benefit from the government is either lazy, unable to care for themselves, inept, or a combination of the above.

The reality is that while the United States has one of the most advanced systems of healthcare, the lack of access for millions of Americans actually makes our system one of the worst of the developed world. One reliable measure of a healthcare system is a comparison of the infant mortality rate, where the United States ranks 45^th in the world, according to the CIA's world fact book, behind nations like Cuba and Singapore. But hey, we are better than Angola and Sierra Leone.

I believe that a change to the system is needed, but I am not willing to do it any cost. Should our elected leadership decide that the best way to provide for our nation's children, and thereby the infrastructure of our future, then I will the price that they ask. If that includes a tax on healthcare benefits as regular income, then it should be done.

But before we …