Healthy Shopping 101

Healthy eating starts with one key activity—healthy shopping. When you head to the grocery store, it is easy to pick up lots of foods that are bad for our bodies without even realizing it. Shopping for a healthy diet can be difficult if you do not know how to do so, but with these tips, you should find it easier to do so the next time you head to the grocery store.

First, have a plan before you ever leave your house. Use the sales fliers to check out the great products that are on sale and take an inventory of your pantry and refrigerator to see what foods you need to purchase. Make a list of all of the foods you’ll need and stick to that list. Allow yourself one or two compulsory buys, but otherwise stay to the ingredients you’ll need to cook healthy meals for yourself and your family for the rest of the week. Before you leave, review your list and take out any unnecessary junk food.

Another great shopping tip to go along with making a list is to shop for a week at a time, or even longer if you have a large freezer. When you have to run to the grocery store every day, you are more likely to pick up junk food items every time you make a trip, and before you know it, your snack supply will be overflowing. You can shop for a week or two in advance by taking a day to plan meals for the week and packaging fresh product to be frozen.

When you’re shopping, it is also important to read the label. Try to avoid purchasing brand name items simply because they are brand name or store brand items simply because they are less expensive. Actually look at the product’s nutritional value and try to get the most nutrients for your money. When you eat higher quality foods, you’ll feel more full and, in turn, eat less, so this really is the best way to bargain shop.

If you are just shopping for yourself, you should also consider picking up a basket at the door instead of getting a shopping cart. The biggest problem with health and grocery shopping is grabbing junk food items that you don’t really need. If you have a small basket, you simply won’t have room for chocolate brownies and ice cream with your load of other foods, so you’ll pass them by.

Lastly, don’t forget to consider drinks into your healthy shopping plan. Most people don’t realize it, but sodas, punches, and beers can have many empty calories and are generally bad drink choices. Instead, look at the labels and choose diet drinks, water and sports drinks, or natural fruit juices, like apple juice. With these tips, healthy eating—and shopping—should be much easier!

Food borne Illnesses: Prevention for Healthy Eating

Eating healthy foods will help you to boost your immune system, but what if it’s the foods themselves making you sick? Food borne illness can cause food poisoning and a variety of other more dangerous diseases, so they are a real threat to our bodies. Luckily, there are a number of things you can do to prevent food borne illnesses. Following safety tips when handling, preparing, and storing food is very important.

First and foremost, you should be concerned with the temperature of your foods. When cooking meat, make sure to use a thermometer in order to make sure that you meat is reaching to proper temperatures inside. Some meats, like beef, can be served rare safely, but proper temperatures are crucial. This kills any bacteria that may be growing on the meat. In the case of burger and other loaf meats that have been ground and formed into patties, you should not eat rare meals. The bacteria then easily is found inside the meat as well as on the outside, and you are at risk if you do not cook these meats for a long period of time to kill any bacteria.

After your food is cooked, you should continue to monitor temperature. Simply put, keep hot foods hot and cold foods cold. Hot foods should be kept at temperatures above 140 degrees Fahrenheit, while cold foods should be kept at temperatures below 40 degrees Fahrenheit. The range between that is where bacteria can grow. When letting food cool for refrigeration, place in the refrigerator after no more than two hours, and when thawing meals, do so in a bowl or pan in the refrigerator, rather than at room temperature.

Cross contamination is a huge culprit when you are concerned with preventing illness and your food. Cross contamination is basically the moving of bacteria from one dish to another. This happens when you use dirty cutting boards, don’t wish your dishes properly, and use the same utensil for all of your foods. If you use, for example, a knife to cut raw chicken and then use that same knife to cut your food after it has been cooked, some of the bacteria from the raw chicken has probably remained on the knife, which can make you very ill. Make sure that you are using a clean work space and clean tools whenever you cook.

Along with using a clean environment, you should make sure that you are washing you hands regularly. Every time you touch raw foods, you should use disinfecting hand soap and hot water to make sure that no bacteria remains on your hands. Making sure that your food is safe is one of the most important parts of healthy eating, so don’t overlook this step the next time you prepare a meal.

How to say goodbye to stress?

Anxiety disorders are often a product of stress. From GAD (generalized anxiety disorder) to panic disorder, you can cut back on the anxiety in your life simply by reducing stress. Stress is normal in daily life no matter who you are, but if you let your stress take control of your life, serious problems will arise. Fortunately, ongoing stress is easy to overcome, but it is important to know the steps to doing so.

Stress is an internal reaction triggers by external factors, like pressure. One of the best ways to overcome these reactions is with plenty of exercise. Daily exercise can help you learn to physically deal with stress by improving your tolerance to stress during exercise. During a panic attack, most people feel short of breath and a pounding heart. A hard workout gives you these same experiences, but in a healthy way. AS you exercise more and more, you push your body to accept these conditions without panicking.

Getting a good night’s sleep is also very important to reducing stress. Stress can physically wear out a person’s body, and without sleep, you will feel the effects of stress much more readily. This can lead to anxiety disorders very easily. To get enough sleep, make sure that you schedule at least 8 hours for sleeping. Don’t eat or drink lots of sugar or caffeine products before bedtime and try to do relaxing activities in the few hours before bedtime. If necessary, see your doctor for help with sleeping problems.

Another key to reducing stress is to schedule time for non-work related activities. Take vacations or at least days off in order to have fun. Work is a major cause of stress, and with that stress comes worry about money, health, and many other things. By setting aside specific time to enjoy yourself with loved ones or on your own, you can physically and mentally set aside the stress for at least a few hours. Try to have at least an hour to yourself every day and an entire long weekend every few months to purely enjoy fun activities.

Lastly, work to reduce stress by learning to think a bit differently about life. Some of the most stressed-out people are perfectionists. While this can be a good trait, it can also go too far. Know when to let something go. Also, think positively about your life. When you worry that you aren’t good enough or are upset about little things, they really add up to hurt you. Managing your thought process is just part of the battle, but if you work at reducing stress, you can avoid developing anxiety problems.

Tags: Mental Stress, Avoid Stress, Mental Illness, Stress Tips

Yes, You Have To Go To The Dentist

Even if you say that you take care of your teeth very well, you still can’t evade the fact that you still have to go and visit your dentist at least twice a year.

Sure, it’s really not fun to go to the dentist but if you really want to achieve the best personal dental care for your teeth, regular visits to the dentist would be of great help to you.

What Happens At A Typical Visit To The Dentist

Going to the dentist every six months is considered more as prevention against cavities, plaque build-up and other teeth and mouth-related problems.

The goal of dentists is to prevent gun disease, tooth decay, and other disorders that put the health of your teeth and mouth in jeopardy.

A casual consultation with a dentist will usually consist of three parts: a medical and dental history (this is where the dentist asks questions about tooth care and reviews past dental records), dental examination and professional cleaning (oral prophylaxis).

The dentist will then examine the gums, teeth and other tissues surrounding the mouth. The joints of the jaws may also be included in the examination to check for the over-all health of an individual’s mouth.

Dentists usually use a probe and mirror to check the crown (the visible part) of each tooth for evidence of looseness, decay or plaque. The dentist may also check the quality of your bite and the way your teeth fit together.

After checking the teeth, the dentist will usually proceed to examine the general condition of the gums. Healthy gums are pink and firm - not swollen, soft or inflamed.

If the dentist can find deep depressions (or pockets), he or she might suspect that an individual has gum disease. When the dentist is finished examining the visible parts of the mouth and teeth, the dentist will then take X-rays that could possibly reveal abscesses, tooth decay, or impacted wisdom teeth.

Abscesses should really be discovered right away because it involves collection of pus surrounded by tissues that are swollen. If it won’t be treated right away, it might be a source for other complications.

Why Professional Cleaning Is Better Than Normal Tooth Brushing

Professional cleaning aims to remove hard deposits with the use of a scraping instrument named a scaler. Aside from a scaler, an ultrasonic machine may also be used by the dentist; it uses high frequency sound waves to facilitate the loosening of plaque deposits. After cleaning, most dental hygienists will polish the teeth. Polishing of the teeth smoothens and cleans the teeth’s surfaces, removing annoying stains and making the teeth more resistant to plaque.

There are also some dental hygiene package that consists of application of fluoride sealant or
compound to help prevent or slow down decay.

Going To The Dentist Isn’t So Bad After All

Now that you are already aware of what happens during a regular trip to the dentist, you would probably think that a trip to the dentist won’t be so bad, right?

If you want to promote personal dental care, you should be the first one to have the initiative to go to the dentist.

You can’t achieve the best personal dental care if you just depend on yourself and your resources at home.

Dentists are equipped with tools, machines and instruments that would surely make your teeth and mouth cleaner, fresher and better.

Ten Best Diet Tips to Lose Weight

Tip 1: Drink plenty of water. It is considered as one of the greatest health myths. However, I still believe in the benefits of water, not only in its role for losing weight but also for being healthy.

Water is flushes out toxin in our body, and you won’t have to worry about calories for drinking more of it.

Start your day with a glass of water. As soon as you wake up, gulp down a glass of cool water. A glass of water lets out all your digestive juices and sort of lubricates the insides of your body. You may have your morning cup of tea but have it after a glass of water. It is good for you.

Drink a glass of water before you start the meal. Water naturally needs some space so that you feel fuller without actually having to stuff yourself.

Have another glass of water while you are having the meal. Again this is another way of making yourself full so that you can actually rise from the table eating less but feeling full just the same. Instead of drinking it one gulp, take sips after each morsel. It will help the food to settle faster so that you get that feeling that you are full faster


Tip 2: Avoid sweetened drinks such as sodas, soft drinks and the like. These drinks are sweetened with sugar, which obviously gives you lots of calories.

You should also avoid commercial juices because, like any other sweetened drinks, these will give you lots of calories for its sugar content. Additionally, these drinks are unhealthy for containing food coloring and artificial sweeteners. Drink home made fresh fruit juices.

Tip 3: Increase your fiber intake. Fiber acts as body cleanser. Go crazy over vegetables and fruits because these are good and natural sources of diet fibers.

Tip 4: Try to stick to black tea/coffee. Black tea or coffee can actually be good for you. But personally I would like to recommend tea rather than coffee. The caffeine in the coffee is not really good for you because it is an alkaloid and can affect other functions of your body like the metabolism.


Tip 5: Stay away from fried things. Fried things are an absolute no-no. The more fried things that you avoid, the lesser weight you will gain. Fried things are called so because they are fried in oil or fat. And even if the external oil is drained away, there is still a lot of hidden oil in it so stay away from it.

Tip 6: Fresh vegetables are better than cooked or canned vegetables. Try to eat your vegetables raw. When you cook them, you are in fact taking away nearly half the vitamins in them. And canned vegetables too are processed and are not nearly half as good as fresh vegetables. When you buy your vegetables it would be a good thing to see if the label says that it is pesticide free.

Tip 7: Do not eat egg more than 1 per day. The yolk of an egg contains many calories. If you can avoid eating egg, then better. For die-hard egg fanatics, you still can indulge to it however; it is advisable not to eat more than one piece a day.

Tip 8: Make chocolates a luxury and not a routine. Chocolates are not or at least they should not be a part of your diet. So do not indulge too much in them. Even the bitter chocolates are not good for you because though the sugar is less there is still the cream in them.

Tip 9: Choose white meat rather than red. White meat, which includes fish and fowl, is miles better than red meat, which includes beef and pork for those trying to lose weight.

Tip 10: Try and adopt a vegetarian diet. A vegetarian diet is undoubtedly better for those of us watching our diet. There are a lot of advantages of keeping to a vegetarian diet but I don’t want to sing an ode to vegetarianism now. What I would suggest is keep to a vegetarian diet as much as you can. Make a non- vegetarian diet a week end event or something if you find it impossible to give up eating all those animals.

Tags: weight loss, weight loss diet, natural weight loss, weight loss tip, weight loss free tips

Types of Physiotherapy That Help Lower Back Pain

Lower back pain plagues Americans to the extent that 80% will suffer from it at some time in their lives. It is one of the most common reasons people visit the doctor. For many, the problem is more than a passing incident; they need physiotherapy.

Physiotherapy of different types can be used to treat lower back pain. Acupuncture is fast becoming an important method for the relief of such pain. The doctor has the patient lie face-down and inserts the acupuncture needles across the back. The doctor then finishes the procedure for lower back pain. Pain relief after a series of treatments usually lasts months.

Massage is also used for lower back pain. The massage used must be done by someone well-versed in the treatment of lower back pain. A massage done by an untrained person may do more harm than good.

These methods are called passive therapies, or modalities. They are done to the patient and not by the patient. There are other modalities that are commonly used. Heat and ice packs are a well-known form of passive physiotherapy. They can be used separately, or they can be used alternately by a person who is suffering from acute lower back pain.

A transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulator (TENS) can be used as another modality for lower back pain. The patient will feel the sensation of the stimulator instead of his pain. If the TENS unit seems to work well for him, he will be sent home with one to use at his convenience.

Ultrasound is especially useful as a passive therapy for anyone with acute lower back pain. It delivers heat deep into the muscles of the lower back. This not only relieves pain. It can also speed healing.

Back exercises may be assigned by a physiotherapist. These exercises will help with lower back pain if one does them correctly and faithfully. The only exception is if the back is in an acute condition requiring emergency care or surgery.

The exercises that will help with lower back pain the most will be assigned and supervised by a physiotherapist. They may be done at home, but it will be necessary to follow instructions and check in frequently.

These exercises include ones for lower back pain that stretch or extend the back and ones that strengthen it. One is an exercise where one lies prone and moves as if swimming. This protects the back while giving the surrounding muscles a workout.

Lower back pain exercises called flexion exercises strengthen the midsection to provide support for the back. If the lower back pain is reduced when one sits, these exercises are important. One is a knee-to-chest exercise.

Aerobic exercise such as walking is excellent for reducing and preventing lower back pain as well. Massage and acupuncture can be counted on to relieve pain for most patients. Exercises can make the back stronger to both relieve and prevent lower back pain. Any physiotherapy that can help relieve lower back pain will help millions of people.

How to Keep Your Teeth Extremely Healthy

Having a very busy lifestyle is definitely not an excuse to neglect your personal dental care. You don’t really want to have plaque and other bacteria staying inside your mouth, right?

It takes just a few minutes a day for you to combat and prevent the spread of bacteria, plaque and cavities in your mouth. Simple tooth brushing and mouth care procedures can take your teeth a long way.

Simple Brushing Tips

Brushing just the front of your teeth won’t do your teeth a lot of good. When you brush your teeth, don’t just focus on your front teeth just because you think that they are the ones more exposed to world. You also have to brush your teeth along the sides and those located at the back of your mouth.

When you brush your teeth, don’t be too harsh on your gums. Make sure that your brush strokes should be away from your gums, not towards. When you brush your teeth, try not to rush. The suggested time spent for brushing one’s teeth is at least three minutes.

If you don’t really want to exceed three minutes, you can use a timer or play a song that lasts for three minutes. Choosing the right toothbrush would also make your brushing time more enjoyable.

If you are not comfortable with your toothbrush anymore, there’s no reason for you not to ditch it and buy a new one. If you have sensitive teeth and gums, a toothbrush with soft bristles would be perfect for you. However, if you have pretty strong teeth, you canuse medium or hard bristles for you to clean your teeth better.

It is also advised that you change your toothbrush every three months. If it’s hard for you to keep track of the days and months, you can opt to buy a toothbrush that comes with a color indicator that would tell you that it’s time to change your toothbrush.

Learn To Floss Your Teeth

As most dental care commercials would say, brushing alone is not enough to ensure that your mouth and teeth is 100% clean.

True enough, you can’t really guarantee that you will end up having extremely clean teeth by just brushing alone. If you want to take the cleanliness and freshness of your teeth and mouth to the net level, then you might want to learn how to floss your teeth.

People who floss for the first time may find it a bit weird and difficult to do. However, with enough practice, flossing can become an easy job. Dental floss helps a lot in getting rid of food remnants stuck in your teeth where toothbrushes can’t reach.

Visit Your Dentist

Now that you already know the basic steps in maintaining a healthy set of teeth, it doesn’t mean that you can already skip visits to your dentist.

It is still very important to visit your dentist at least twice a year because there are really some procedures (such as oral prophylaxis) that only dentists can do.

Having your teeth cleaned professionally by a dentist is really a different and better experience than simple brushing and flossing. Enhance your personal dental care by integrating regular brushing and flossing and visiting the dentist at least twice a year.

Personal Dental Care: It’s Never Too Late

If you are guilty of neglecting or abusing your pearly whites in the early years of your life (by not
brushing regularly, by smoking a lot of cigarettes, drinking a lot of caffeine, etc) you might find
yourself getting a bit self-conscious when you smile.

Whether your teeth are already exhibiting a yellowish-tinge or suffering from extreme sensitivity to hot or cold food and beverages, it’s never too late for you to level up your personal dental care routine.

Can’t Smile Without You

Most people with a "normal" or average set of teeth don’t really realize the importance of their pearly whites until they experience problems concerning it.

Imagine this: you use your mouth to communicate with people every minute of everyday and that means that your teeth is also exposed every time you communicate with other people. If you are not confident about your teeth, you will definitely become self conscious which would greatly affect the way you interact with others.

Now do you realize the importance of maintaining a healthy set of teeth? If you do, then it’s high time that you give a little more time for your personal dental care.

Brush Regularly

You don’t really have to be a toothbrush maniac and strictly brush your teeth every after meal. What if you eat at least 8 times a day? Brushing your teeth 8 times a day would definitely irritate the enamel of your teeth and may even make your gums tender and make you more susceptible to gum irritation and gingivitis.

Most dentists would recommend that brushing the teeth at least 2 or 3 times a day is enough to maintain the cleanliness of the teeth and mouth. If you seem not to be satisfied with just merely
brushing, you can actually floss (now you can do this after every meal, just make sure you know the right way of flossing or you’ll still end up having gums that bleed) or gargle some mouthwash.

Have A Tongue Cleaner

If you think that brushing and flossing alone is enough to help eliminate, manage and control the halitosis-causing bacteria in your mouth, think again!

The bacteria are not only found in your teeth but they are also found in your tongue and in the "cheeks" of your mouth. Brushing alone will not help you achieve 100% fresh breath. You will need to clean your tongue and inner mouth cheeks as well.

You can do this by simply buying a tongue cleaner. There are a lot of toothbrushes in the market today that have built in tongue and cheeks cleaner. They may be a bit more expensive than regular toothbrushes, but they’re worth the extra money anyway.

Don’t Be Lazy

There may be times when you arrive home very late at night or you simply had a very rough and tiring day that you just want to crawl right into bed when you get home. You ditch brushing your teeth and then you justify your act by telling yourself "it’s only for tonight" and then you sleep right away.

You might think that it’s a harmless act but maybe it would help if you would know that a person who sleeps overnight without brushing his or her teeth gives the bacteria in his or her mouth ample time to multiply which gives off a "deadly" mouth odor in the morning.

Personal dental care is a person’s responsibility to himself. It is part of daily hygiene and it must be not neglected, just like bathing and washing hands.

How To Have Teeth For A Lifetime

Thanks to better in-office dental treatments and at-home care, more people find it easier to manage their personal dental care.

Although there are some conditions and diseases that can facilitate tooth loss, the products and technology today gives people more control to help keep their original teeth until they get old.

The most common suggestions to have a healthy set of teeth for a lifetime is to constantly brush and floss them. Most teeth and mouth problems are triggered or caused by plaque, an icky layer of bacteria, food particles and other organic matter that forms on the surface of the teeth.

The bacteria found in plaque are responsible for producing acids that cause cavities to form. Plaque is also responsible for periodontal disease, an infection that can damage the tissues and erode the bone surrounding the teeth.

The best way to remove plaque and destroy its chances of building up is through brushing and flossing. Regular brushing and flossing is really needed so that the plaque won’t have the chance to accumulate and harden.

Don’t Be A Sloppy Brusher

Most of the people have been taught the proper technique of brushing the teeth when they were kids.

However, as people get older, they tend to disregard the proper way of brushing and just brush their teeth sloppily. If you think that simply brushing your teeth all round and making bubbles is enough to get rid of the plaque and other food debris, think again.

You may just be wasting your time, effort and toothpaste if you don’t practice the proper technique of brushing your teeth. It takes more than instinctive brushing to get your toothbrush bristles to remove plaque without injuring your gums.

If you really want to know the proper way to brush your teeth, you can visit a dental hygienist or a dentist so that they can show you the proper way to do it.

General Tips About Brushing

You need to brush your teeth at least twice a day. Perhaps the most important time to brush your teeth is just before you go to sleep because during sleep, the production of saliva decreases, making the teeth more vulnerable to the attack of bacterial acids.

It’s not advisable to brush more than three times a day because it may cause the gums to recede in the long run. When brushing your teeth, make sure not to make the strokes too harsh because it will also cause the gums to recede or bleed.

Imagine this: plaque sticks to the teeth just like jam sticks to a wooden ladle. Rinsing the wooden ladle won’t really remove the jam, instead, light and constant brushing will be able to do the trick.

Brushing too hard will damage the ladle, which will also have the same damage to the teeth and gums. Don’t rush when you are brushing your teeth. Two minutes is the recommended time to adequately remove the food and plaque build-up on your teeth.

Change your toothbrush regularly. Don’t be a scrooge when it comes to toothbrushes
because they are the primary weapon for personal dental care. They don’t cost a lot so when you notice that your toothbrush has been with you for three months already, or if you already that the bristles of your toothbrush has already began to splay, it’s high time that you replace it with a new toothbrush.

Brush Your Plaque Away

The primary aim of personal dental care is to prevent cavities from forming in the teeth. In order for you to prevent cavities and maintain a healthy set of teeth, you need to remove plaque, a transparent layer of bacteria that stays on the surface of your teeth.

Some effective ways to prevent plaque from forming is to brush your teeth at least twice a day and floss at least once a day. Brushing your teeth will help stimulate your gums and in turn keep them healthy and less susceptible to gum diseases.

Choose The Right Toothpaste

Toothpastes are typically made of detergents, abrasives and foaming agents. The most common active ingredient in toothpaste is fluoride. Fluoride is the component of the toothpaste that is responsible for preventing cavities from forming.

When choosing what toothpaste to buy, make sure that it has a great amount of fluoride to keep your mouth cavity-free. Studies say that 1 out of 10 people has a tendency to accumulate tartar rapidly. What is tartar? It is actually plaque that is difficult to remove and damaging because it is already in hardened form.

There are anti-tartar toothpastes and mouthwashes available in the market today which can help prevent tartar formation. Another great tip for preventing the formation of tartar is brushing the teeth located near the salivary glands.

For individuals that seem to have teeth which are sensitive to pressure, cold and heat, there are toothpastes specially made for sensitive teeth.

However, a visit to the dentist may be most appropriate so that the dentist can assess whether the sensitivity of the teeth may lead to a serious problem such as nerve inflammation or severe cavity.

Learn How To Floss

Although brushing is considered to be the most important part in the personal dental care routine, it doesn’t actually have the ability to remove the plaque and food particles between the teeth, under the gum line or within braces.

A dental floss is the weapon to get rid of the abovementioned teeth and mouth “pests”. Flossing can be done at least once a day.

There are actually different kinds of flosses and these depend on the space that a person has in between his or her teeth. Most dentists would usually suggest unwaxed floss because it is easier to glide through narrow spaces.

However, recent studies have discovered that there is actually no significant difference in the effectiveness among the different kinds of dental flosses. When flossing your teeth, you should be very careful so that you can avoid injuring your gums.

Remember, gums are very sensitive and they can bleed easily. Never force the floss under the gums; just curve the floss around the edge of your tooth and form a letter “c” then glide the floss up and down the side of each tooth. Do not forget to floss the back sides of your teeth as well.

All in all, maintaining your very own personal dental care routine can be easy, as long as you have enough willingness and determination to achieve a great set of pearly whites.

If you are one of the many people who don’t really give much attention to your teeth, don’t wait until you experience awful dental-related problems such as toothache, bad breath(halitosis) or bleeding gums.

How To Achieve Dazzling Pearly White Teeth?

Most people nowadays are getting attracted to tooth whitening products because they want to have a million dollar smile just like the celebrities seen on television.

If you want your teeth to become whiter and more dazzling, you can add whitening toothpastes into your personal dental care kit. If you want to use whitening toothpastes, don’t forget to check if it still contains fluoride and other ingredients that fight and prevent plaque and tartar.

However, a lot of whitening toothpaste users claim that these whitening products didn’t really do much in changing the color of their teeth. The yellowing of the teeth is actually a natural phenomenon. As a person gets older, his or her teeth becomes yellowish.

If you are not satisfied with the color of your teeth, the best way is to visit your dentist first and consult him or her about your dilemma. Your dentist will tell you about the effectiveness of over-counter-products or they may even offer to give you professional treatment.

Most celebrities actually prefer to undergo professional teeth whitening treatment because that way, their unique needs can be met. Be very careful in purchasing over-the-counter teeth whitening products because some of these may contain bleaching agents that can actually damage your mouth and gums.

In addition to that, do follow the instructions strictly to avoid experiencing adverse side effects.

The Teeth’s Nemesis:

Sugar

Perhaps everybody has gone through a stage in their childhood when they would constantly hear their elders warning them about the evils of eating too much sugary sweets and candies. And those warnings are true indeed; eating sugary sweets and candies is a major cause of tooth decay.

However, it might helpful for you to know that its not just about the amount of sugar that you eat - it also involves when and how you eat sugary stuffs that determine the health of your teeth.

When you drink sodas or eat sugary foods throughout the day, the enamel of your teeth becomes constantly exposed to acids. Cough drops, hard candies, and breath mints are just some examples of the harmful sugary sweets that dissolve in your mouth slowly.

Dental professionals and experts suggest a 3-hour break in between taking food and drinks that contain sugar. Starchy or sugary foods eaten with a full meal is said to be less harmful to the teeth compared to being eaten alone because the increased production of saliva helps wash away the bacteria and sugar.

Eating sweet and sugary foods before sleeping is perhaps the most damaging thing one can do to his or her teeth because one does not produce a lot of saliva when he or she is asleep.

If you want to have a health set of teeth yet you can’t seem to cut out sweets from your diet, you can try some of these tips to help you achieve your goal:eat carbohydrates with a meal, brush your teeth directly after eating, rinse your mouth thoroughly with mouthwash or water, chew sugarless gum, don’t eat sugary foods and sweets between meals, eat non-sugary foods (cheese, popcorn, yogurt, raw veggies) as snacks.

In a nutshell, achieving and maintaining a healthy set of teeth may not be as easy as 123 but with enough determination and commitment to your personal dental care routine, you will surely have the smile that you’ve been wanting ever since.

6 Tips to Stay Beautiful and Fit Everyday

Health is wealth. By being physically fit, it can make a person look lean both inside and out.

There is a lot a person can do such jogging or walking in the morning, playing basketball or any other sport with friends but if a person wants to have muscles and look lean, the best thing to do will be to sign up and workout in a gym.

Just like taking any medicine, one should first consult the doctor before undergoing any form of exercise.

Physical exercise is beneficial because it helps maintain and improve ones health from a variety of diseases and premature death. It also makes a person feel happier and increases ones self esteem preventing one from falling into depression or anxiety. It has also shown to make a person with an active lifestyle live longer than a person who doesn’t.

The best exercise plan should have cardiovascular and weight training exercises. This helps burn calories and increase the muscle to fat ratio that will increase ones metabolism and make one either gain or lose weight.

A person who has never worked out before should do it gradually. Doing it too much for the first time can make one pull a muscle or have an injury making it worse. Endurance will never be built in a day and doing it repeatedly will surely be good to the person.

Focusing on certain portion in the body can help make it improve. A good example is going to the gym and doing a workout more often in a specific area such as the abs can give one a chest pack.

But beauty is not only about having muscles which is what people can see. It is also about enhancing the beauty within.

Here are some things one can do everyday to stay beautiful and healthy;

· Reading books and other reading material more often keeps the mind sharp just like working out keeps the body in shape.

· Work no matter what kind it is produces stress. One can reduce this by taking the time out to do something special like lying in a hot tub, shopping or watching a movie. Studies have shown it is reliever and helps one from looking haggardly.

· Pollution is something people cannot control given the size of the problem. When one goes out, it is best to put some form of protection such as beauty products that contain antioxidants that protect the skin from damage. There are also other beauty products available and choosing the right one with the help of a dermatologist can help the person.

· Another way to stay healthy is to give up some vices. Most people smoke and drink. Smoking has been proven to cause lung cancer and other diseases as well complications for women giving birth. Excessive drinking has also shown to do the same.

· For people who don’t smoke, it is best to stay away from people who do since studies have shown that nonsmokers are also at risk of developing cancer due to secondary smoke inhalation.

· Lastly, it is best to always start the day with a positive outlook. Just as studies have shown that exercise makes a person feel happier, smiling produces the same effect. A smile can do a lot and it is contagious in a positive sense. It brightens the day of not only one but others as well.