Think Twice About that Lunch By Environmental Defense Fund scientist Tim Fitzgerald

Bring this printable seafood safety chart to the supermarket to make safe seafood choices.
A New York Times report on high mercury levels in tuna sushi was certainly cause for concern for serious sushi lovers.
The report might have also made many parents uneasy about the ubiquitous tuna sandwich in their kids' lunch boxes. Many of us rely on canned tuna for a wholesome, high-protein meal. Once considered a "nuisance food" or "pauper's food," today almost half of all American households serve canned tuna monthly. Only shrimp surpasses canned tuna as Americans' favorite seafood. But does this beloved fish in a can deliver a helping of toxic mercury, too?
Given the popularity of canned tuna fish and its moderate levels of mercury, parents should monitor how much their kids eat.
Here's why: Children (and infants and fetuses) are particularly vulnerable to the health effects of mercury, since their brains and nervous systems are still developing. They may suffer learning disabilities and developmental delays from prolonged or repeated exposure to even small amounts of mercury.
Children who were exposed to mercury before birth may experience problems with mental development and coordination, including how they think, learn and problem-solve later in life.
Parents can still feed kids tuna, if they are mindful of which types they feed their children and how often. There are two main kinds of canned tuna: Canned light (chunk light) and canned albacore tuna (solid/chunk white).
Canned white, or albacore, contains higher mercury levels, so meals should be limited. Children up to age six should eat no more than one meal a month, and children ages 6-12 should eat no more than two meals a month.
Adults, too, should limit how much albacore they eat, especially if they are pregnant or of child-bearing age.
The safer choice is canned light, but kids should still not eat it every day.Parents should limit their young children's meals of canned light tuna to 3 meals per month. Older kids and adults can safely eat it once a week or more.
Why the difference in mercury for the two types of canned tuna? The reason, simply put, is that albacore (white) is a larger, more predatory species of tuna, so it accumulates more mercury in its tissues. Skipjack, which accounts for most canned light tuna, doesn't grow nearly as large as albacore, so it has approximately one-third the mercury levels.
But read the canned light label carefully: Some canned light tuna reportedly contains yellowfin tuna, which has similar mercury levels to albacore. These products are sometimes (but not always) labeled "gourmet" or "tonno," and their consumption should be limited by both adults and children.
Armed with information, parents can still safely include tuna salad sandwiches in their lunch boxes, in moderation. An even better choice is canned salmon. Canned salmon is mainly sockeye or pink from Alaska — a wise choice not only because the fish are low in contaminants and high in heart-healthy omega-3s, but also because they are sustainably caught.

How To Lose Your Love Handles Fast

So how do you lose love handles fast?

I'm telling you from experience that you can do abdominal exercises and other various forms of sweating your brains out, which happens to be the way that most people trying to lose their problem area fat deposits go about it, but until you stop believing the lie you aren't going to see results.

For years I was caught up in this lie, that goes something as follows: Exercise is the most important part of getting the sexy midsection and as long as I do my abs exercises each and every day I won't need to focus on my diet that much.

So, operating under this lie, I would do thousands of crunches and sit-ups without ever losing an ounce of fat from my love handles.

It was miserable to say the least. I mean, it seems to be logical that if I "worked" my abs I would get the flat, tone, sexy stomach that I always wanted. But this is not the case.

In fact, the greatest secret to losing not only the belly fat, but the fat thighs, butt, hips and other problem areas as well, just happens to illogical.

And that key is your diet?

The fact of the matter is that the only way to lose your love handles and other problem fat areas fast is by addressing the food you eat and the way that you eat it.

So for the sake of saving you from a ten thousand word explanation, here's two diet secrets that you need to begin following right now to quickly lose your stomach fat deposits...

1. Refined/process sugar is your worst enemy... Eliminate it.

This means you need to stop consuming the soda, sports drinks, fruit juices, candy, white bread and other foods heavily loaded with refined sugar.

2. No high energy carbs in the P.M hours.

By high energy carbs I mean bread, pasta, fruit and certain vegetables such as potatoes. These are high energy foods that tend to be stored as fat while you sleep. If you want to quickly lose the handles then the only carbs that you should be consuming in the P.M. hours are green leafy vegetables.

It's these two little diet secrets that allowed me to get rid of my embarrassing love handles. And please don't get me wrong, abdominal exercises are great for toning and developing the six pack. It's just that when it comes to losing the belly fat they won't do much good. http://www.naturalexplosiveweightloss.com

Heart Helpers

According to the results of a study, orchestra conductors live an average of seven and a half years longer than the average person.
To strengthen your heart, tone up your circulatory system and have some fun, go through the motions of conducting an orchestra. Do it for at least 10 minutes a day, or 20 minutes three days a week. Conduct to music that inspires you. If you don't have a baton, use a ruler or a chopstick. Pretend each day of exercise is a command performance. Throw your whole self into it physically and emotionally.
NOTE: If you have a history of heart problems, be sure to check with your doctor before you begin conducting.
Healing Honey
Two teaspoons of raw honey a day, either in a glass of water or straight off the spoon, is thought by many nutritionists to be the best tonic for strengthening the heart, as well as for general physical repair.
WARNING: Diabetics and people with honey allergies should not use honey.
Okay, so you don't want to join a gym. You don't have to. For the best exercise and the perfect body stimulator, just take an old-fashioned walk-make it a brisk walk-daily. Brisk means walking a mile every 20 minutes (three miles an hour). It's slower than running or race-walking, but faster than a stroll.
In addition to the walking, those who did vigorous exercise for 90 minutes a week cut their risk almost in half. Gardening and house¬work are considered vigorous exercise. So you can have a clean house, a beautiful garden and a healthy heart.
According to renowned research biochemist Richard A. Passwater, PhD, vitamin B

15 quickens the healing of scar tissue around the heart and also limits the side effects of some heart medications. The suggested dosage is 150 mg a day along with a B-complex vitamin.
CAUTION: Broccoli and turnip greens are rich in vitamin K, the clot-promoting vitamin. If you take anticlotting medication prescribed by your physician, be aware that eating big portions of those vegetables can counteract the effects of the medicine.
This remedy is recommended for people who have a history of heart problems-right before going to bed, take a 10-minute footbath. Step into calf-high water, as hot as you can take it without scalding yourself. As the minutes pass and the water cools, add more hot water. After 10 minutes, step out of the tub and dry your feet thoroughly; preferably with a rough towel.
Once your feet are dry; give them a one¬minute massage, manipulating the toes as well as the entire foot. This footbath/massage may help circulation, remove congestion around the heart and lead you to a peaceful night's sleep.
We recently read a list of supposed benefits of hawthorn berries. We followed up by researching the herb and, as a result, we now take hawthorn supplements daily.
Benefits: Normalizes blood pressure by regulating heart action..improves heart valve defects...helps people with a lot of stress... strengthens weakened heart muscle. . .and prevents atherosclerosis.
NOTE: Check with your health professional for dosage, depending on your size and the state of your heart health.
Omega-3 fatty acids impact many factors linked to cardiovascular disease. They help lower LDL cholesterol levels and triglycerides. inhibit excessive platelet aggregation, lower fibrinogen levels and lower both systolic and diastolic blood pressure in individuals with high blood pressure.
Omega- 3s are found in many foods. including salmon, mackerel and other fatty fish. Flaxseed oil offers the most cost-effective and beneficial method for increasing the intake of omega-3 oils in the diet.
For a healthier heart, eat wheat germ every day. You might also want to supplement with vitamin E. It's said to help reduce hardening of the arteries. Check with your doctor for amount.
Take a garlic supplement every day to protect and strengthen the heart and help thin the blood. Also, use garlic in cooking and eat it raw in salads.
Red Roses for Love
If someone wants to give you an edible treat, instead of candy, suggest red roses. They're said to help strengthen the heart as well as other organs of the body, not to mention what they do for a relationship.
Remove the bitter white part on the bottom of the rose petals and eat the rest of the petals raw, or make rose-petal tea to drink. Be sure the roses are organically grown and haven't been sprayed. "
Eat onions once a day. According to Russian scientists, onions are beneficial for all kinds of heart problems.
Every morning, before breakfast, drink the juice of half a lemon in a cup of warm water. It's reputed to be helpful for all kinds of body functions, from proper fluid action in the blood to regularity in the bathroom.
Rev Up Your Circulation
Once a day, mix 1/8 teaspoon of cayenne pepper in a cup of water and drink it down. It's not easy to take, but it may be beneficial to the circulatory system, since cayenne pepper is reputed to be the purest herbal stimulant.
Japanese medicine recommends ginger footbaths to improve circulation. Add a cup of fresh, minced ginger to a basin with 2 quarts of warm water, or divide the water and ginger into two plastic shoe boxes. Soak your feet in the water until they're rosy red. Then dry thoroughly and notice a more energized feeling.

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