Let’s face it – keeping your family healthy is a full time job.

Even when we want our spouse and children to eat healthy meals, we struggle due to lack of time, tempting food commercials, and the downright convenience of processed meals.

But we can still make an effort to provide better meals. We can do this by simply championing whole foods and having our meal plans revolve around them.

Best Healthy Foods for Your Family

• Oatmeal

If you want avoid any 10 AM cravings, you should give your breakfast a nice fiber boost with a bowl of oatmeal. Furthermore, oatmeal also contains soluble fiber that will help you control your cholesterol levels and insoluble fiber which will keep your family satisfied throughout the day.

• Raspberries

Raspberries are really dark fruits, but did you know that this means that they are laden with fiber and antioxidants? They also possess a good amount of Vitamin C. A cup of the fruit contains around 8 grams of fiber.

• Barley

Barley has the highest fiber content of all whole grains. Your average pearled barley pack has around 6 grams per cup after cooking. And that’s why you should start serving it as a side dish with almost every meal.

• Broccoli

Last but not least, we have a member of the cruciferous family of vegetables. And if you are not aware, cruciferous veggies are full of nutrients. Broccoli, for instance, packs a ton of antioxidants that have certain cancer-preventing benefits. Also, a single cup of broccoli has more than 5 grams of fibers.

Junk Food Alternatives

Fast food restaurants in the United States serve roughly 50 million customers every day. Furthermore, according to CDC’s newest findings, more than a third of (around 34% to be exact) of children between ages 2 and 19 eat fast food on a daily basis.

As we all know, fast food is extremely high in fat and sugar and awfully low in nutrients. Nevertheless, we cannot deny the fact that junk food still is tempting for young children.

You can try to cut down on the number of times you and your family go out for meals. Alternatively, you can serve these healthy alternatives instead:

French Fries – Try preparing some baked grits on your oven with a dash of salt.
Fried Chicken – Grilled chicken is a great, low-fat alternative to KFC.
Ice Cream – Yogurt and fresh fruit smoothies should satisfy your children’s need for sugar.
Potato Chips – For younger children, try baking vegetable chips, and for older ones, buy some nuts.

See Also: Four Simple Ways to Teach Your Kids to Say “NO” to Junk Foods

How to Help Your Family Eat Better

Now, for our spouses and parents, keeping loved ones on a healthy diet will always be a full time job. But even when you’re armed with the healthiest fruits, veggies and meats, making sure that your family sticks to a healthy diet isn’t always an easy task. But you shouldn’t feel discouraged at all.

You see, even small, seemingly insignificant changes to your daily routine can have a huge effect on your family’s overall health.

• Mix Things up As Often as Possible

Who says that a healthy diet has to be boring? For instance, did you know that it can be beneficial to eat something sweet in the morning to hold back carvings later in the day? Well, according to Tel Aviv University research, if you have a little chocolate in the morning, you won’t feel so tempted to eat something sweet during the day.

Nevertheless, you should limit your children’s sugar intake to about three teaspoons a day; and don’t worry, many recipes taste just as good with less sugar. Pinterest is a wonderful companion at this time as you can pin numerous healthy recipes and ideas onto your boards.

And if you feel like it, you can consider using a meal delivery company that deliveries fresh recipes and groceries on a weekly basis for that little bit of help.

• Stop Eating in Front of the TV

Who doesn’t eat in front of TV from time to time? Most of us are guilty of it. But did you know that eating while watching TV or YouTube clips can directly impact your awareness and memory and make it harder to recall the amount of food consumed? In 2013, a group of UK scientists discovered that people who eat while distracted consume up to 25% more calories, according to Daily Mail.

The bottom line is – if you’re paying too much attention to the screen in front of you, you are not really paying any attention to what and how much of it is going into your or your kids’ mouths. A nice family meal, centered on the dining table will not only provide a great platform to your family to connect with each other, but it also gives you an opportunity to eat more mindfully.

Final Thoughts

Finally, in order to influence your kids’ eating habits, you have to make sure that every member of family sits down to eat together at approximately the same time every day. Not only will you be able to monitor your family’s eating habits, you’ll be able to identify possible problems and deal with them early.

Family meal times are a great opportunity to catch up on your children’s’ daily lives, and talk and listen to your loved ones without the distraction of smartphones, computers or TV. The simple act of talking to a parent over dinner will play a big role in boosting your children’s morale and self-esteem later on.

See Also: Shifting Your Family To The “Real Food” Diet 

The post Foods That Will Help You Keep Your Family Healthy appeared first on Dumb Little Man.

http://ift.tt/2ltOoXV

More than ever before, people are often more willing to take a handful of pills first and ask questions later. If you have a headache you take a pill. If your back hurts you take a pill. If you have a vitamin deficiency, you take a pill. Heck, even if you don’t have a vitamin deficiency you might take a pill just in case. The problem with all these pills is that they can have bad interactions when taken together.

Do you always tell your doctor about every over-the-counter, herbal, vitamin, and supplement you take? Even if you aren’t on any prescriptions, these things can cause dangerous drug interactions.

When you go to pick up an antibiotic at the drugstore, do you tell your pharmacist about all the extra things you take? Even things that don’t have side effects on their own can have bad side effects when taken together, and telling your doctor and pharmacist about every single thing you take regularly is a crucial step in preventing many of these harmful side effects.

All Medicines Are Drugs

• All medicines are drugs but not all drugs are medicines
• A medicine treats or prevents a certain ailment
• A drug triggers a certain response in the body
• Pharmaceuticals are manufactured compounds used as drugs or medicine
• Around 170 million people in America take pharmaceuticals

Side Effects Can Overshadow Benefits

Many times the side effects of a single prescription medication are negligible. Sometimes, however, those side effects can be so severe you have to do a cost-benefit analysis weighing whether you are better off with or without the medication. Other times some patients have to be on multiple medications at the same time, which can cause serious problems with interactions. Occasionally patients have to be treated for the side effects of a necessary medication with another medication, which causes still more side effects.

The bottom line is this: the fewer medications you are able to be on, the better off you are. Nearly 2 million people are hospitalized each year in the United States for adverse reactions to medications that have been properly prescribed. Even in the hospital, nearly 900,000 people each year are given medications that cause an adverse reaction. Over 100,000 people die each year from adverse reactions to properly prescribed medications.

The Opioid Epidemic

Prescriptions for opioids have steadily increased over the last decade. These days, “painkillers” are given out for everything from major surgery to a minor toothache.

This has caused an unfortunate uptick in heroin use in recent years, and news of people overdosing is a daily occurrence. In fact, it is estimated that a quarter of all patients who are prescribed opioids will become addicted, and the U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch said last year that marijuana is no longer considered a gateway drug, but rather the real gateway drug is prescription opioids.

The estimate of how many people receive hospital treatment for complications from prescription opioids is as high as 80%.

Even Tylenol Can Be Dangerous

Taking Tylenol as prescribed is often very safe, but taking too much causes 100,000 visits to the emergency room each year. When mixed with alcohol, the likelihood of liver problems increases.

It’s also very important to read the labels when you take prescription medications – over 600 of them use acetaminophen as part of their chemical recipe, so taking additional Tylenol with many prescriptions can be a recipe for disaster.

Herbal Does Not Mean Safe

Herbal supplements are not regulated by the FDA the same way medications are, so pharmacists and doctors aren’t always aware of side effects and potential drug interactions. Calcium supplements are known to reduce the absorption of certain medications, while fish oil supplements can increase the risk of bleeding when mixed with blood thinners or blood pressure medication. It’s important not only to discuss supplements you are taking with your doctor or pharmacist, but to also weigh the risk versus the reward.

See Also: What to Ask Your Pharmacist

Knowledge Is Power

Knowing what you take and making decisions based on need is the first step to decreasing the likelihood of adverse drug interactions. Maybe the daytime talk show host who told you to take that extra supplement didn’t care as much about your health as he did about his own ratings.

Learn more about the potentially dangerous side effects of drugs from this infographic!

Via: ConsumerProtect.com

The post Drug Side Effects: More Dangerous Than You Think appeared first on Dumb Little Man.

http://ift.tt/2mdNHkb

Discovering that a family member is finding it difficult to handle daily living activities means that you need to start learning about senior care. Assisted living is among the options that are available and it refers to different senior care services that provide several benefits to seniors and their caregivers. As many people age and deal with long-term illnesses, professional care is a healthy and viable choice for your loved one and will benefit the entire family.

Personalized Care

One of the reasons why assisted living is popular is because it is personalized. Facilities that offer assisted living do not offer one package to cover everyone’s needs. Any senor who resides within the community has a distinct personality, certain traits and medical conditions.

Professional caregivers make sure that everyone gets the support they need on a personalized basis. Whether an elderly person has mobility issues or struggles with memory loss, a professional will address their specified and individual needs.

See Also: 5 Exercises to Improve Posture and Mobility for Seniors

Safety

An assisted living facility is designed to minimize risks and hazards for its senor residents. Installing certain types of safety equipment at home can be expensive. At an assisted living residence, additional components of safety are standardized and have a positive effect on the mobility of your loved ones. They also reduce the risk of seniors experiencing injuries that arise from falling and any other incidents.

Quick Response to Emergencies

While every step is taken to maximize the safety of seniors, accidents may occur. Trained professionals are hired by assisted living facilities and they are available throughout the day in case of a medical emergency. Transportation to medical facilities for routine check-ups or non-emergency situations is also organized by the staff.

Freedom and Privacy

Professionals monitor the health needs of each resident without compromising on their privacy or need for personal space. Regardless of how much daily care your loved one may need, they still enjoy their freedom, privacy, independence and mobility. It can be challenging for seniors to move away from their families and homes but they usually enjoy being able to have their privacy and freedom.

Supportive Environment

If an elderly person has the ability to perform various tasks without any exposure to danger, professionals will always support them and their efforts to be independent. This is essential for the individual’s general well being.

Active Lifestyle

Assisted living provides activities during which exercise and physical mobility are encouraged. Staying active and being mobile not only helps the senor regain their youthfulness, it also helps to prolong life by keeping diseases at bay. The facilities provide a variety of recreational activities that are aimed at keeping seniors healthy. This helps them to maintain an active lifestyle.

Conclusion

Taking good care of elderly people is vital. With the assistance of an assisted living facility and trained staff, you and your family have the assurance that your lived one will be able to enjoy a higher quality of life as well as their independence. Older family members can get the care that they need at assisted living facilities that are committed to enhancing the well-being and happiness of each of their residents.

The post Senior Care- What You Need To Know About Assisted Living appeared first on Dumb Little Man.

http://ift.tt/2lq7bn8

Do you want to gift something special to your dad or mom to make their senior life easier? There are a variety of tech gears available in the market that can simplify the lives of your parents.

Access to favorite TV shows with Google Chromecast 2

This device can be used to send things from your small screen phone to your big screen. If your parents are fond of some TV shows, gifting them Google Chromecast 2 can be a good option. Chromecast 2 can turn a regular TV into a smart TV.

View TV shows via Apple TV

If your parents have an iPhone or iPad and love watching TV shows, Apple TV will let them stream all video content in the iTunes store to HDTV. The Apple TV can be controlled with an iPhone or an iPad using Apple’s Remote app.

One can remotely control music from the iTunes collection on a PC, which is easier than using a remote. Apple TV can be used with AirPlay mirroring, which allows the users to broadcast exactly what’s on the screen. In simple words, the Apple TV is an excellent streaming box that will be loved by a parent.

Help your parent get a sound sleep with LectroFan

Old people usually have difficulty getting decent sleep at night. Gift them a device that helps them sleep well. The LectroFan is a portable sound machine that induces sleep and relaxation by producing 10 white noises and 10 fan sounds. It’ll help the oldies fall asleep much more easily and it will also drown out otherwise disruptive neighborhood noises.

Control home lighting with Philips Hue Starter Kit

If your parents have bought a new home, gifting them a Philips Hue Starter kit can be a good idea. With Philips Hue, they can control the lights remotely with the help of a smartphone or tablet. Home owners can customize their daily routines by adjusting lights in all the rooms. The lights can also be linked to other smart home devices and control smart LEDs from other manufacturers also.

Medication Management Devices to remind you about medicines

On an average, a person over the age of 65 has to take three medicines per day. It is not uncommon for old folks to have problems remembering to take their medication.

There are several devices that can remind the oldies to take their medicines. Reminder Rosie is a talking clock that plays a recorded message and reminds your parents when it’s time for medicines. MedMinder is a digital pill dispenser. The adult child can fill the tray and program it as per the medication schedule. The gadget beeps and plays a pre-recorded message in a family member’s voice.

Find keys with the help of Wireless Key Finder

Your parents may place their keys somewhere and forget the location. It would be so convenient to find missing keys with the simple push of a button.

This gadget can be attached to your key chain and a transmitter can be placed in a specific location such as a desk, counter, or any other place. Wireless Key Finder has a 50 foot range and it beeps loudly when the button of transmitter is pushed.

Say goodbye to cords by using Bluetooth mouse and keyboard

If your mom or dad is the type to hate clutter and too many wires around the house, a Bluetooth mouse and keyboard can be a good gift to get. A Bluetooth mouse and keyboard would eliminate two wires and can make their desk uncluttered.

Safeguard your home with Smart security cameras

Security of home is something that cannot be ignored. Home security is always a concern with home owners. Blink camera can be an ideal gift to enhance the security of your parents’ home. As it works on batteries, one doesn’t need to worry about plugging any device. It comes with a year-long battery life so that the home owners do not have to change the batteries often. When you gift smart security cameras to your parents, you are not just gifting a device, but also peace of mind.

See Also: 10 People in Urgent Need of Smart Home Security Systems

Worried about your dad forgetting his medicine? Is your mom missing her favorite TV shows as she cannot operate the remote? It’s time for the younger generation to gift tech gadgets to make their lives simpler and easier.

The post 7 Tech Gifts For Old Age Parents appeared first on Dumb Little Man.

http://ift.tt/2lw0nCR