Trade Your Latte for Tea

Green tea is packed with antioxidants and also has weight-loss properties, so sip away, advises Dr. Sizemore- Ruiz. “I try and drink at least one cup a day, but I really aim for two. Green Tea lattes and frappes don't count...but nice try!”

Get to Know Your DNA

Did your maternal grandmother have ovarian cancer? Did your father have colon cancer? It pays to know your family history and how it can affect your own health and wellness.

“I cannot express how important this is. It can totally change the screening guidelines for you,” Dr. Sizemore-Ruiz says. “For instance, a screening colonoscopy is done at 50 years old, but if your father had colon cancer at 49, then you must have a screening at 39! Not just cancers, but knowing family history of things like heart disease and diabetes—and keeping a record of it—will help your physician make the right decisions for your health.”

Change the way you think about food

There are lots of myths about healthy food. Don’t make food choices based on false beliefs. Suggestions include:
Compare the prices of junk foods against the price of healthier food options to see that ‘healthy’ doesn’t have to mean ‘expensive’.
Experiment with different foods and recipes. You’ll soon discover that a meal cooked with fresh ingredients always leaves a limp burger or soggy chips for dead.
Try different ‘fast’ options like wholewheat breakfast cereal, muesli, wholemeal bread, wholegrain muffins, fruit, yoghurt or noodles.
Don’t think that your diet has to be ‘all or nothing’. Eating well doesn’t mean you must be a health food freak. A good diet allows for treats occasionally.

Things to remember (Teenagers)

A teenager who eats fast food regularly is more likely to put on weight than a teenager who eats fast food only occasionally.
A diet consisting of healthy meals and snacks will boost your intake of nutrients such as calcium, which is required for strong bones.
Eating well doesn’t mean you must be a health food freak – a good diet allows for your favourite junk foods occasionally.

Change your eating environment (Teenagers)

Lobby your school canteen for healthier food choices.
Ask your school canteen to include a range of low-price healthy food choices.
Help with the grocery shopping and choose fewer processed foods.
Get involved in cooking at home. The Better Health Channel recipe finder may provide inspiration

Eating Tips For Teenagers

Teenagers need to consume a healthy diet that is high in fruits and vegetables, and rich in nutrients like calcium and iron. Teenagers can do a lot to improve their diet, eat healthy meals and snacks, and maintain a healthy weight.

Health Benefits Of Apple Cider Vinegar

There is astonishingly great health benefits associated with Apple Cider Vinegar. Reach for apple cider vinegar to cure many generally occurring diseases and health problems.

1. Beat Workout Exhaustion
Exercise and sometimes extreme stress cause lactic acid to build up in the body, causing fatigue. Interestingly, the amino acids contained in apple cider vinegar act as an antidote. What's more, apple cider vinegar contains potassium and enzymes that may relieve that tired feeling. Next time you're feeling beat, add a tablespoon or two of apple cider vinegar to a glass of chilled vegetable drink or to a glass of water.

2. Whiter Teeth
Gargle with apple cider vinegar in the morning. The vinegar helps remove stains, whiten teeth, and kill bacteria in your mouth and gums. Brush as usual after you gargle. Brush your teeth with baking soda once a week. This will help remove stains and whiten your teeth. Use it just as you would toothpaste. You can also use salt as alternative toothpaste. If your gums start to feel raw, switch to brushing with salt every other day.

3. Tummy Troubles
Sip some vinegar water. If a bacterial infection is at the root of your diarrhea, apple cider vinegar could help contain the problem, thanks to its antibiotic properties. What's more, some folk remedy experts contend that apple cider vinegar contains pectin, which can help soothe intestinal spasms.

4. Hiccups
Take a teaspoonful of vinegar. Its sour taste could stop a hiccup in its tracks.

5. Indigestion Prevention
Sip this before eating. If you know you're going to indulge in foods that will make you sorry later, try this folk remedy first. Add 1 teaspoon of honey and 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar to a glass of warm water and drink it 30 minutes before you dine.

6. Night Time Leg Cramps
Sip some vinegar water. This old folk remedy should please apple cider vinegar fans. Add 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar and a little honey to a glass of water and drink to ease nighttime leg cramps. Of course, by the time you walk to the kitchen to put the drink together, your cramp is likely to be history — but maybe that's just the point

7. Stuffy Nose
Sip some vinegar. Mix a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar in a glass of water and drink. This helps sinus drainage.

8. Sore Throat
Reach for the vinegar. As soon as you feel the prickle of a sore throat, employ germ-busting vinegar to help head off the infection at the pass. Turns out, most germs can't survive in the acidic environment vinegar creates. Just mix ¼ cup apple cider vinegar with ¼ cup warm water and gargle every hour or so.