Doctor HealthHealth Tips

Calcium and vitamin D supplements may do more than strengthen bones in older women. These vital nutrients may also help younger, active women reduce their risk of stress fractures.

To illustrate that point, many bone health experts refer to a recent study of more than 5,200 female U.S. Navy recruits that found that women who didn’t take additional calcium and vitamin D were about 25 percent more likely to suffer a stress fracture than women who took the vitamin and mineral combination.

“The most common time for a stress fracture is when you’re increasing your exercise levels — when you’re going from doing nothing to doing a whole lot. It’s too much, too fast, and the bone can’t handle it,” explained Dr. Sabrina Strickland, an orthopedic surgeon who specializes in sports medicine at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City.
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Obesity can wreck a person’s health for many reasons. But for women, too much weight tacks on an additional danger: Studies have linked obesity and breast cancer in a variety of ways.

Doctors aren’t sure why this link exists and are trying to figure out what ties weight gain to breast cancer. But they are more and more convinced the link is there, and they are urging women to watch their weight and increase their exercise to help stave off what is the most common cancer among females, nonmelanoma skin cancer aside.

“There are a lot of factors we need to figure out,” said Dr. Jennifer A. Ligibel, of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston. “There are a lot of things we don’t know.”

An estimated 182,500 women in the United States will be found to have invasive breast cancer in 2008, according to the American Cancer Society, and about 40,480 women will die from the disease this year. Currently, there are about 2.5 million breast cancer survivors in the United States.

Studies have found that, in general, obesity is linked to cancer. The higher a person’s body-mass index (BMI, a ratio of weight to height), the more likely she or he will develop cancer, according to recent research by scientists at the University of Manchester in England. Other studies have found similar links to increased body fat.

Still other studies have found that women with breast cancer are more likely to live shorter lives and suffer a recurrence of their cancer if they are overweight.

For example, in a recent study conducted at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, more than two-thirds of women with stage III locally advanced breast cancer were either overweight or obese. The study also found that a greater proportion of obese patients were likely to be diagnosed with a rare and more deadly form of breast cancer, known as inflammatory breast cancer.

Scientists vary in their opinions on why this link exists, and what it means.

Some believe that obesity may make tumors harder to detect, so a woman’s breast cancer will be further developed before it is discovered.

“It could be because there’s more breast tissue, a lump would be less evident,” Ligibel said.

Researchers also believe that the systemic effects of obesity might do something to spur cancer on. For example, obesity or overweight can lead to fluctuations in hormone levels in the body.

“When women are heavier, their estrogen levels are higher,” Ligibel said. “That could be a pathway through which weight affects breast cancer. Other studies have shown that when insulin levels are high, there’s more chance a cancer will come back.”

Another link to obesity was found in a study from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill that showed that obese women are more likely to skip screenings for breast and cervical cancer. Without those screenings, women are less likely to catch breast cancer at a more treatable stage.

Debbie Saslow, director of breast and gynecologic cancer at the American Cancer Society, said it’s not completely clear what role obesity plays in breast cancer risk.

“For obesity, which is independent of breast size, I would think two factors would come into play,” Saslow said. “One, a positive, is that the breasts may be fattier, which would make a mammogram easier to read. The second, a negative, is indirect: Obese women are less likely to go to a doctor.”

Menopause appears to be a critical time, Ligibel said. Obesity creates a greater risk for breast cancer post-menopause, while pre-menopausal women actually have a reduced risk.

“Gaining weight around the time of menopause is a risk factor in developing breast cancer,” Ligibel said.

The increased risk of developing breast cancer and dying of it after menopause is believed due to increased levels of estrogen in obese women, said Colleen Doyle, director of nutrition and physical activity with the American Cancer Society.

There is good news. Studies have shown that exercise — 30 minutes to 60 minutes a day of moderate-to-high intensity physical activity — decreases breast cancer risk, Doyle said.

“Physical activity reduces breast cancer risk both directly, by decreasing circulating estrogens, and also indirectly, by helping with weight control,” she said. “Women are so concerned about breast cancer risk. Communicating that there are key things you can do to reduce risk — watch your weight and be more active — are valuable messages.”

Ligibel agreed, noting that exercise might be valuable enough to counteract the strain on the body caused by obesity.

“You might not need to lose weight if you exercise,” Ligibel said. “Exercise could affect the hormone levels and help keep cancer from occurring or recurring.”

By HealthDay

Obesity is a worldwide problem and is getting worse. Losing weight is difficult for most people. A study in the New England Journal of Medicine reports fewer than 25 percent of Americans who try diets actually lose weight and a majority who do lose weight have difficulty maintaining the loss. Billions of dollars are spent on weight loss programs. VOA’s Melinda Smith has more on recent findings that may put to rest the argument about which diet works the best.

weigh in

The World Health Organization estimates there are more than one billion adults who are overweight, and 400 million others considered obese.

Another 20 million children under the age of five are overweight. So why can’t we lose weight?

Fad diets often run their course and disappear from popularity as people lose, then regain. But three diets seem to be the most generally accepted: The low fat diet promotes whole grains, fruit and vegetables.

A diet low in carbohydrates is based primarily on protein such as eggs, red meat, chicken and fish and some vegetables.

And lastly — [is] a diet based on the Mediterranean style of cooking. That includes smaller portions of meat and fish, and larger portions of fruit, vegetables, grains, along with nuts, seeds as well as olive oil.

In the studies published recently, several hundred overweight and obese patients were asked to follow one of these three diets. After a period of two years, patients on the low carb diet lost the most.
“It’s not surprising that the low carbohydrate diet led to greater weight loss, because when you’re eating protein and fat it makes you feel full so you don’t want to eat as much,”
Dr. Eric Westman said. He is one of the researchers with the Duke University Medical School.
Being overweight or obese often leads to serious health problems.

Fat laden foods lead to high cholesterol and insulin levels, which often lead to heart disease, stroke and diabetes. Researchers found the diet low in carbohydrates helped to lower those levels.

“A low carb diet — one that foregoes rice and pasta and bread and potatoes — works by lowering insulin levels in the body,” Dr. Westman said. “And then with this lower insulin level, the body makes less of harmful cholesterol.”

In previous clinical trials, it has been difficult to measure the effectiveness of weight loss diets over the long term. These recent studies in Israel and the United States have been the longest controlled trials to date.
By Melinda Smith , VOANEWS
Washington

Everybody has heard about the great benefits of green tea, but still we drink beer! Green tea has a lot of great benefits and contains a lot of medicinal and nutritional properties. These really deserve to be known because it can save your life one day!

For thousands of years, the Chinese have been drinking green tea and enjoying excellent health benefits. They even used to drink green tea for its medicinal properties, as the Chinese were able to avoid and even treat different kinds of illnesses. It is also linked to the long life that the Chinese have enjoyed and became renown for. They have the highest rate for people living over the age of a hundred. That should be enough proof! Although the Chinese have been drinking this kind of tea for centuries, it was only recently that green tea has been introduced and became popular throughout the planet. I have to through the blame on Coke on this one!

Scientists and nutritionists have found that this incredible drink does indeed have medicinal properties that can help prevent several types of illnesses including this age’s plague, cancer. In fact, there are even doctors who recommend green tea for any kind of illness and insist that drinking it regularly plays a great role in maintaining good health. What is it exactly that makes this magical drink such a miracle that it even perplexed health professionals from all over the world?

First, this tea contains high levels of antioxidants, which are called Polyphenols or Flavonoids. Why do we need antioxidants anyway? We need to understand that the body does millions of processes that are happening at all times. Even when you are asleep, the brain, cells, organs and every part of our body is active building and repairing. This magnificent building operation requires oxygen in order to be done properly. Somebody might ask, what’s wrong with Oxygen? The oxygen that we breathe isn’t hundred percent pure and clean and can contain a lot of oxidants like dust particles, smoke, pollutions, germs, viruses and all kind of harmful micro particles. These oxidants or commonly known as free radicals and are penetrating our system every single day. These free radicals are known to be one of the main stimuli in the growth of cancer cells.

So, in order to fight or reduce the effect of oxidants or free radicals, we will need to introduce antioxidants in our body, very powerful ones in the case of some people! And guess what, green tea has a lot of them. Although some other natural herbs and fruits do have antioxidants, you will see that green tea has a lot more. In fact, the antioxidants found on green tea are much higher than that found in grape juice and red wine.

Second, this amazing drink also contains vitamins, such as vitamin B6, which plays a vital role in the metabolism of the body. That’s why everybody drinks green tea to lose fat and weight. Additionally, vitamins B1 and B2, which are essential for releasing energy from food, which is actually good because it converts directly into energy that you can use in your daily exercises and your work. Another great thing about this tea is that it has key minerals such as magnesium, which is essential for bone growth and body development as well as potassium, which helps in keeping the heart pumping normally and maintain the body’s fluid levels. I thought only milk has such minerals and bone supporting nutrition!

Green tea has caffeine though just like coffee. You may put it as a “disadvantage” but compared to coffee and other teas, it is the best caffeine you can put into your body system! Let me explain, the caffeine that we get from coffee and regular teas has immediate effects on our nervous system. It can raise blood pressure and make our heart beats faster than normal due to its instant stimulating effects. Surprisingly, caffeine in green tea is more beneficial than the caffeine taken from coffee. It works through the body in a different mechanism. It alerts our system, but in a prolonged kind of and effect so we don’t experience sudden spikes in blood pressure, heart beat rate and nervousness. And again, it helps you lose that extra fat in your body, without the harmful caffeine effects!

To experience the utmost health benefits, green tea is preferably brewed rather than fermented. Fermentation is most likely used in black tea but never in green tea. There are basically three important reasons why brewing is used in green tea.

Reason # 1 – Brewing doesn’t eliminate the important nutrients, vitamins and components that comprise green tea. On the other hand, fermentation wastes a lot of the nutritional tea components leaving more and less an enjoyable beverage.

Reason # 2 – Brewing can bring out the best in Catechin and Theanin, the two elements that contribute to a lower level of caffeine in your green tea.

Reason # 3 – Brewing enhances taste and aroma. Indeed, brewing has a very enticing smell that can’t be found in fermented beverages.

Brewing green tea is easier contrary to what people might think. Here are the tips for the best brewed green tea:-

Tip 1 – The type of water Choosing what kind of water to use is a very important detail that you have to take note of. Ideally, manufacturers would prefer brewing green tea using soft mineral water or natural water. If you can’t afford purchasing bottled water daily, you can take into consideration tap water. If you’re planning to use European bottled water, don’t. It’s because this kind of water is considered hard water that is not suitable for brewing green tea.

Tip 2 – Chlorine free water Chlorine must not be mixed with the process. To remove it, just leave your water in your pot for a couple of hours before finally boiling it.

Tip 3 – The boiling process Depending on how much water you have put, it will be the time that you have to boil. Whenever the water starts to boil, take off the lid of the pot and let it boil continuously for a few more minutes.

Tip 4 – Temperature It is said that correct temperature of boiling water will vary on the kind of tea that you are about to use. This is the moment when the extraction of Polyphenols takes place. When you buy green tea, usually there will be there some instructions on the temperature to use.

Tip 5 – Steep Let your tea steep for about three to five minutes. With longer steeping time, the Polyphenol level increases while if steeping time takes only a couple of seconds, it will result in more caffeine content in the tea.

Tip 6 - Tea leaves Research shows that it is better to brew green tea leaves that are smaller because of the fast infusion. Choosing large leaves or ones that are tightly curved can have a longer infusion time.

Tip 7 - Teabags or loose leaves? It is more advisable to use loose green tea than green tea teabags. Loose green tea enables Polyphenols to freely float inside your cup of green tea instead of locking them inside teabags.
by YOUSEF JULAIDAN

1.choosing
Only the right weight loss pills can help you get the best effect for losing weight. There is an adaptive process when we start to lose weight.We should lose weight step by step not by leaps. Otherwise,it will cause harm to your body instead.At first, we need to choose a product with out any side-effect.It will help to regulate body rhythms and lose weight gradually.As the person who takes slimming pills for the first time,Lida brand Qingqing Slimming Capsule is their best choice.It is mild and effective.
2.The Price and effect
Slimming products is not more expensive, the better. Although a high price means a good quality product, it does not mean that all the cheap slimming products with the bad effect. If you are a sales person, you will know the balance between the manufacturer’s price and selling price. The expensive fast working slimming products rebound quickly as well. A good slimming product should with moderate prices, right speed of losing weight and never rebound.
3.Rebounding and Course of Treatment
Everyone who want to lose weight will have the same problem— Rebound. In this regard, we need to learn the course of treatment scientifically. The course of treatment of a slimming product is about 3 months. At the first half of month, you can get the best effect, lose weight obviously. Then reach the plateau, almost no effect to see. After the plateau, it will restart to lose your weight slowly. But it will not as fast as the first period. If you insist to three months, you will not rebound unless you engorge. Usually, rebounding happened in someone who just takes slimming pills for one month.If you stop taking it when you see the effect, you will get your weight back easily.
4.Market Price and Internet Price
A good product will not only boost the market follow suit in similar products, there will be many fakes out. So, we need to choose the right way to buy a slimming product. The best choice of buying a slimming product is go to their official webpage. Otherwise, you may get a fake product. Instead of losing your weight, it may hurt your body.

5.Partial & overall
There are mainly 2 kinds of losing weight methods: one is whole body’s reducing, another one is partial’s reducing. For whole body’s reducing people, there are also several types weight loss pills, which are used for: fat belly, Solid-muscle, inflation-fat. Even for the teenager’s young girls and boys, post natal women, and also for the people who gets nothing results in many times losing weight. Some women worrying about weight loss will let their breast become smaller. However, it’s unnecessary to worry about it.Nowadays, most of the slimming products only help to lose the fat part of body.

6.Oral-taken & External Application Most of the oral-taken slimming products in the market are the Pills, there are also some slimming tea. External application is generally classified into Apply and Spray. There is an important principle for taking the pills: You can not take 2 kinds of diet pills in one time, and also can’t take diet pills when you are taking other kinds of Medicines. If you want to see the best weight loss results in a short time, you can take oral pills and also use the External Application together. It will help you lose more effectively!

7.Manufacturer’s Instructions & Customer’s Feedback Reputation and branding are important conditions for consumers choosing a slimming product.Generally speaking, the instructions of product are just a reference for consumers. Large advertising investment products do not necessarily better than the little-known products. The key of choosing a slimming product is customer’s feedback. The information from forum and customer’s feedback are very important reference for you to choose a slimming product. You can get the first-hand information of a product from that. However, different people have different situation. For those evaluations and recommendations, we can only think it as a reference.

8. Medicaments & Healthy way to lose weight Keeping weight is a long process.A healthy and reasonable habits and customs is very important for us to maintain our weight. Of course, many people have difficulties in it. Because the rapid pace of modern life, Sitting to work all day, we don’t have enough time to do exercise. So we can only rely on drugs to maintain our weight. Lida’s suggestion is taking slimming pills to help you keep weight. But you should stop taking pills after the consolidation period. Then you can maintain your weight through healthy eating habits and appropriate exercises. To stretch your legs when you are working, do several sit-ups before you go to bed.It can help us keep weight.

We advocate losing weight by a natural and healthy way. Diet and drugs will disturb our normal life and mental state. At the beginning period of keeping weight, we can choose a herbal weight loss pills, such as Botanical Slimming Capsule and Basha Slimming Softgel. They are natural and safe, no side-effects. Healthy weight loss is no longer a dream— if you keep a good living habit, appropriate exercises and a good mental state.
by LIU KUN

A number of popular diets are focused on carbohydrates. Some demonize them. Then warn you against eating any carbohydrates. Others in fact, emphasize a high carbohydrate intake. Here is how low-carbohydrate diet plans treat carbohydrates.(Such as The Zone, Atkins, South Beach and others)

For more than two decades. Dr. Robert Atkins preached and sold the gospel of protein is good for you. And carbohydrates are evil. Until recently, this line of thinking was beyond the pale. Now there is some new evidence. That backs the idea that a high- protein. Low-carbohydrate diet. May accurately help you lose weight.

Whether such a diet that also includes bacon, steaks, butter, cheese. And other foods with plenty of saturated fat is good for your overall health is another matter.

In theory, a high-protein/low carbohydrate diet could help increase your satiety. A feeling of fullness that comes with eating. Fewer carbohydrates could also avoid fast and high rises. And falls in your blood sugar. Which may also keep your hunger at bay. Together, these could help you avoid overeating. Making you satisfied with fewer calories.

That’s the theory. Unfortunately, there are few good long-term studies to test it. Short-term studies have shown low- carbohydrate diets to be safe in the short term. But your weight loss is due mostly to a reduced caloric intake. Not necessarily to the low-carbohydrate nature of the diet. Such reductions often happen when you drastically change what you eat.

Two year-long studies published in the New England Journal of Medicine. Suggested that the benefits of a low-carbohydrate diet. May last for six months to a year. These studies compared high-fat, high-protein, low-carbohydrate diets. With low-fat, moderate-protein, high-carbohydrate diets. In both studies. The low-carbohydrate approach produced more weight loss at six months. However, by the end of a year weight loss was similar with both diets.

Apart from the uncertainty about their ability to maintain your weight loss. A high-protein diet could cause you long-term problems. Many of the high-protein foods that you choose. While on this type of diet (red and processed meats, cheese, and full-fat dairy products, for example) are high in saturated fat. But low in vitamins and minerals. This may increase your risk for heart disease and colon cancer.

Diets very high in protein (especially animal protein, like red meat). May also increase the risk for osteoporosis in women. Because your body takes calcium from the bone. To neutralize the acids that build up in your blood. From the result of you digesting such large amounts of protein.

Until more is known. About the true risks and benefits of high- protein/low-carbohydrate diets. You should view them with caution. Keep your protein intake at moderate amounts (about 8 grams a day for every 20 pounds of body weight). Vegetable protein is a better choice than animal protein. And don’t skimp on the healthful carbohydrates such as whole grains, fruits, and vegetables. These should still make up a large part of your diet.

You can minimize or avoid any diet deficiencies associated with low-carbohydrates diets. When you approach your low- carbohydrate diet as an integrated part of your *-lifestyle-*, not solely an ingredient focus.
by RICK TROJAN

When we reach 50 years of age or there about many of us become more concerned than ever before about our health and weight. Subsequently if we are over 50, overweight or obese we become more mindful of the fact. Should we be concerned? You bet we should (That is if we care about the longevity and the quality of our life as we get older). There is a direct correlation between weight and health. We know inherently if we are indeed carrying more weight than we should and that we need to lose extra weight in order to cut body fat. How do we know we are overweight or obese? Well, we can look in the mirror. But a more scientific approach would be to calculate what is called the BMI (Body Mass Index). This is simply put - a ratio between weight and height letting us know if we have more body fat than we should. In the USA alone 27% are obese and 64% are overweight. If you are overweight or obese you are not alone. You are among 130,000,000 US adults. Obesity is the 2nd leading cause of preventable death and as many of us are already aware obesity is closely related to conditions such as: Heart Disease, High Blood Pressure, Cancer, Diabetes, Arthritis, Gout, Asthma, and Gum Disease. Obesity occurs when a person consumes more calories than (s)he burns. What causes this imbalance between consuming and burning of calories can be any of the following: Age, Gender, Genetics, Environmental Factors, Physical Activity, Psychological Factors, Illness and Medication. Here we will focus on one aspect of this weight and health correlation – telomeres. Telomeres are part of the cells’ chromosomes, which house DNA. They are part of what our body uses for cell repair. White blood cells show telltale signs of aging when weight gain or insulin resistance is present. The length of the white blood cells’ telomeres naturally gets shorter with age. So we do not want them to shorten any faster than they will naturally. Why does obesity cause them to shrink faster than normal? Cell damaging free radicals and inflammation might be responsible. Obesity is associated with increased inflammation because fat tissue is a major source of inflammatory chemicals. Inflammation burns out white blood cells faster and the effort of replacing them wears down the telomeres. Obesity is also thought to be linked to free radical damage. The damaged cells become free radicals. That can hurt DNA in normal cells laying the foundation for health problems. No matter what you think, you can lose weight and start living a better quality of life no matter what your age. Go to your doctor for a checkup. So decide now (especially if you are neer or over 50, overweight or obese )to lose extra weight and cut body fat. You can do it and it is not that hard, all you need is a commitment to yourself and those you love.
by ELIZABETH MUESCH

If you have ever looked through the pages of a fitness magazine you could not miss all the different advertisements on diet pills. Some even look like articles as they can be two or three pages in length. I regularly buy these magazines for tips on exercises and nutrition, but there always seems to be more pages about diet pills then anything else. So this brings me to ask the question are diet pills harmful or not?

I have read different views on television, the internet and in newspapers and some say that diet pills are harmful and some say they are safe. There have even been cases of people dying or getting extremely sick from taking certain pills that say they are to help you lose weight. Here are some negative effects of diet pills:

" Most diet pills suppress appetite, which in turn helps you consume fewer calories in a day, but consuming fewer calories gives your body less energy and slows your metabolism. And a slower metabolism is usually a reason for being over weight as your body will store and not use as many calories.

" Ephedrine is used in a large number of diet pills as it increases the heart rate and metabolism rate which could lead to heart attack or stroke. This is a drug that should not be taken if you have high blood pressure, or heart and thyroid problems. This has been linked to a number of deaths and serious illness. Health Canada has even gone on the record and said that people should stop taking diet pills with this drug. Some diet pills have an "excessive amount of ephedrine," which could cause "potentially fatal adverse health effects".

" Caffeine is a common ingredient in diet pills. Always read the label and any that say they contain more then 300mg of caffeine should not be taken as this could be very harmful to your health, because like ephedrine, caffeine raises your heart rate and blood pressure and again could lead to a heart attack or stroke.

" Symptoms of diet pills can be few to severe depending on what is in them. Dependence to diet pills could occur, especially those that are stimulant-based.

Though these pills or supplements can help you lose weight always do your research before taking a diet pill or food supplement and contact your doctor to make sure that they are safe for you to take. Also make sure to exercise regularly and eat healthy as these will help improve your chances on reaching your weight loss goals.

by PATRICK TODD

WASHINGTON - Whole Foods Market is recalling fresh ground beef sold between June 2 through Aug. 6 because the beef might be contaminated with E. coli bacteria.

The company has received reports that seven people in Massachusetts and two people in Pennsylvania who shopped at Whole Foods Market became ill, said spokeswoman Libba Letton.

Letton said the company’s recalled beef was processed at the Nebraska Beef plant linked to the E. coli outbreak this summer. Federal health authorities say there have been 49 confirmed illnesses tied to that outbreak.

The recalled beef might have been sold at Whole Foods Market stores in Connecticut, Rhode Island, Maine, Massachusetts, Florida, New Jersey, New York, Kentucky, Maryland, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Washington D. C., Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Wisconsin and Canada.

When kids are active, they have different nutritional needs compared to those who aren’t. As parents of active children, we need to know we’re feeding our kids what they need to meet their energy requirements. But how much do you feed them? What kinds of foods do you feed them? And what do you feed them before, during and after physical activity and athletic competitions?

Talking with other parents, I realized that many are getting bombarded with misinformation regarding sports nutrition. Therefore, I decided to write up some nutrition guidelines for active kids so that you will have answers to the most commonly asked questions. Active pre-teen females (ages 6 to 12) require anywhere from 1600-2200 calories per day, while males of the same age range need 1800-2400 calories per day.

The more time spent doing physical activity means more calories and other nutrients are needed to support the demands of physical activity as well as normal growth and development. Fortunately, most athletes will naturally increase their food intake because their hunger will increase. But as a parent, what you can do is make sure your child is eating a little more food when they’re active than when they’re not.

Carbohydrates

While many adults try to stay away from carbohydrates, battling the buldge, they are the main source of fuel for muscles during exercise. Children should be offered carbohydrate-rich foods at each meal and snack time.

Avoid giving your children simple carbohydrates such as cookies, candy or soft drinks before exercise. Instead, offer complex carbohydrates such as breads, cereals, rice and pasta. These foods are digested relatively quickly, so blood sugar levels will remain stable before practice or a game. If your child is nervous before a game and has trouble eating, then offer them liquids such as sports drinks.

Protein

Young athletes get all the protein they need when eating a carbohydrate-rich, well-balanced diet. Excess protein that replaces carbohydrates can actually impair athletic performance. Good sources of protein include chicken, turkey, eggs, cheese, milk, yogurt, dried beans and legumes, and lean meats.

Hydration

Child athletes need plenty of fluids. Grade school children are especially susceptible to heat exhaustion and heat stroke because they do not produce sweat as easily as adults. As a result, your child’s body temperature will rise faster, and they can become dehydrated quickly. To prevent dehydration, encourage your child to drink 3-4 ounces of fluids every 15 minutes.

Remember-not all beverages are created equally. Avoid beverages high in sugar, like fruit juices and soft drinks, because they are absorbed more slowly and may increase the chance of stomach cramps and nausea. Sports drinks containing carbohydrates and electrolytes like sodium and potassium are recommended to help keep your child well-hydrated.

Pre-exercise and post-exercise meals

Active children need to eat a small meal or snack every 3-4 hours to help keep their energy up and blood sugar stable, especially when they’re exercising. A pre-event meal is suggested, and it serves two main purposes: first, it can prevent your child from feeling hungry before or during the activity. Second, it helps supply fuel to the muscles so that your child can go the distance during practice and the event.

The pre-exercise snack or meal should be high in carbohydrates and low to moderate in protein, fat and fiber so it can easily be digested. Some suggestions include fresh fruit low in fiber (plums, melon and peaches), breads, bagels and crackers.

The post-exercise snack or meal should be moderate in protein and include carbohydrates, a combination that will help replenish glycogen stores and repair muscle tissue. Some ideas include fruit yogurt and a banana, turkey and cheese sandwich or spaghetti with meat sauce.

by Capessa