Touted as the most important meal of the day, breakfast stands true to its value and importance in healthy aging and living. How about this for a wake-up: Recent research indicates eating a healthy breakfast may help you lose weight, perform better at work, and lower your risk of heart disease and obesity. Healthy breakfast choices are easy and simple to whip up with the same great taste but better nutritional value. This will help you lose the weight and in turn lower your risk for a number of ailments.

Here are healthy breakfast choices to start your day right.

Slice and Enjoy: To enjoy all the healthy benefits of your favourite fruits, eat them immediately after cutting. This is to ensure you are getting all the vitamins and antioxidants the fruit has to offer because prolonged air exposure destroys key nutrients of the fruit.

Make Breakfast the Biggest Meal of the day: In a study conducted at Virginia Commonwealth University, “participants who ate a 610-calorie breakfast rich in carbs and lean protein (including milk, whole-wheat bread, turkey, eggs and cheese) for eight weeks lost more than 21 percent of their body weight, compared to just 4.5 percent for the eaters who consumed a 290-calorie breakfast. The first group also reported less hunger and fewer cravings overall.”

Buy a Good Juicer: Almost all frozen and canned juices can contain preservatives and added sugar. Getting a juicer or citrus press to make freshly squeezed drinks at home are a more healthy choice, not only do they taste better but they have all the nutritional value frozen and canned juices don’t have.

Instant oatmeal: Considered the holy grail of healthy breakfasts for most, yet many don’t stop to think all they are just adding water to oat cereal packed with lots sugar and sodium. Select a brand with less than 5 g of sugar and 170 mg of sodium, or better yet take a few minutes to cook quick oats and serve with skim milk and fruit.

Cereal: Cereals can pack up to 600 calories and 30 g of fat – before you add milk! So be sure your cereal choice is high-fibre or a whole-grain variety. (Whole/rolled should be in the first ingredient) Grab a measuring cup to ensure a single serving and so you don’t over pour because it’s easy to do so.

Pick a Wholesome Protein: Enjoy eggs, low-fat dairy, soy or lean meat every morning: Protein is highly satiating and promotes calorie-burning. Add a side of complex carbs such as whole-grain toast, oatmeal, fruit or veggies. Fibre balances blood sugar for sustained energy and helps regulate cholesterol also increasing your metabolism.

Enjoy a Second Cup of Coffee or Tea: “A study conducted at the University Medical Center Utrecht in the Netherlands found that drinking coffee or tea in moderation reduces your risk of heart disease. Researchers studied more than 37,000 people over 13 years and found that those who enjoyed two to four cups of java a day had a 20 percent lower risk of heart disease than those who drank less than two. Ditto for tea: Those who sipped three to six cups daily had a 45 percent lower risk than those who consumed less than one cup.”

Human beings are creatures of habit and as such the outcomes of our habits play a colossal role in determining our health and how gracefully we age. As we grow old, many people start to complain about the effects of aging on their body and mind; how they do not function with the same sharpness and lucidity as they did before. For the majority of people, it doesn’t have to be so. There are ways you can grow old and function with the same efficiency. The key to healthy aging and living is identifying and breaking the habits along with the lifestyle trends that keep you from living healthy and aging gracefully.

The fountain of youth is a myth so aiming to eat right, workout, sleep well and stay fit will be the best way to stay young as you age. Breaking a habit to age gracefully is a very difficult thing to do considering in most cases the habit has turned into routine and comfort. The most debilitating habits you should quit today are smoking, drinking and poor dietary choices.

Smoking: Smoking is a very prevalent habit that is very hard to stop. Smoking causes a number of respiratory as well as cardiovascular diseases and has been identified as a leading cause of cancer. Smoking is also known to affect the cross-bond linking of tissues and accelerates certain enzyme secretion which destroys the collagen and elastin fibers responsible for giving your skin the smooth, youthful look. There are many drugs available, like nicotine gums and nicotine patches, to sooth the transition process. Once you do manage to quit smoking, you will notice a marked change in your stamina and energy levels.

Drinking: Next on the list of nasty habits to quit is drinking. Being addicted to alcohol can only happen over a long period of time. Excess drinking has been known to cause fatty deposits in liver tissue, the accumulation of which may lead to serious health issues like liver failure, jaundice and cirrhosis. In addition, alcohol causes weight gain which in turn causes a whole new list of ailments. Limiting your alcohol intake to no more than one drink a day will benefit you in a big way.

Dietary habits: Many of us are use to diets rich in protein and bad carbohydrates. This not only increases the chances of cell oxidation but significantly slows down the metabolic and digestive processes. Cutting heavy proteins and red meat out of your diet will improve your digestion and reduce incidences of acidosis and heart burns. It will also help reduce cholesterol levels in turn helping your heart function better.

Giving up your current lifestyle maybe a tough thing to accomplish but as we grow older our bodies become more susceptible to various age related diseases. Breaking habits to age gracefully is in the best interest of healthy living and healthy aging. You must protect yourself against them in order to lead a healthy life. Make the effort to kick harmful habits to improve life expectancy and enjoy a healthy body.

Everyone knows your heart is a vital organ you cannot live without but when we get right down to the nitty, gritty of things the heart is essentially just a pump, a very complex important one, yes, but just a pump. The heart is a very intricate organ with a number of functions but the most important is the supply and regulation of blood flow to the rest of the body. There are very interesting heart facts that are hard to believe. Just imagine something as small as your hands are capable of such potent tasks that regulate your bodily functions on a day to day basis non-stop.

Fascinating Heart Facts:

The average adult heart beats 72 times a minute; 100,000 times a day; 3,600,000 times a year; and 2.5 billion times during a lifetime.

A kitchen faucet would need to be turned on all the way for at least 45 years to equal the amount of blood pumped by the heart in an average lifetime.

The volume of blood pumped by the heart can vary over a wide range, from five to 30 liters per minute.

Every day, the heart creates enough energy to drive a truck 20 miles. In a lifetime, that is equivalent to driving to the moon and back.

Because the heart has its own electrical impulse, it can continue to beat even when separated from the body, as long as it has an adequate supply of oxygen.

The fetal heart rate is approximately twice as fast as an adult’s, at about 150 beats per minute. By the time a fetus is 12 weeks old, its heart pumps an amazing 60 pints of blood a day.

The heart pumps blood to almost all of the body’s 75 trillion cells. Only the corneas receive no blood supply.

Five percent of blood supplies the heart, 15-20% goes to the brain and central nervous system, and 22% goes to the kidneys.

The heart does the most physical work of any muscle during a lifetime. The power output of the heart ranges from 1-5 watts. While the quadriceps can produce 100 watts for a few minutes, an output of one watt for 80 years is equal to 2.5 gigajoules.

The heart begins beating at four weeks after conception and does not stop until death.

A newborn baby has about one cup of blood in circulation. An adult human has about four to five quarts which the heart pumps to all the tissues and to and from the lungs in about one minute while beating 75 times.

The heart pumps oxygenated blood through the aorta (the largest artery) at about 1 mile (1.6 km) per hour. By the time blood reaches the capillaries, it is moving at around 43 inches (109 cm) per hour.

Now that summer seems to have finally arrived, summer festivals, barbeques, beach parties and social gatherings are in full swing although they often include unhealthy food options. For those who are health conscious (or trying to be), the extra fat and calories add up quickly, leading to possible weight gain or a decrease in nutrition levels. Learning how to navigate the food temptations of summer will be the key to a successful summer nutrition plan during the hot and hazy days.

Finding healthy summer nutrition options will be the root of your success this season. While most summer events feature less than healthy options like burgers, fries, cakes and hot dogs, you can make the healthier choice. Choosing a veggie burger, grilled chicken, vegetables or a salad minus the fries are the best choices, it reduces your fat and calorie intake. Another suggestion is sharing your high-calorie dish with a friend; you get a taste without going overboard.

Summer nutrition also includes staying hydrated especially when enjoying outdoor activities. Water is your best option, as high-calorie sodas, juices or alcohol will not be suffice to battle the heat. Keep a bottle of cold water with you whenever you go out in the summer to avoid extreme thirst. In addition, taking advantage of the wide array of fresh seasonal fruits and vegetables will boost your nutrient, vitamins and mineral levels.

Have a healthy summer with healthy food options, while still enjoying the simple things!

If you are taking a prescribed medication and feel a bit overwhelmed by the list of potential side effects, it is explicable because on average, prescribed drugs, each list a whooping 70 potential reactions according to researchers. Prescription drugs and side effects have become a growing concern ringing in as the fourth leading cause of death in both Canada and USA, accounting for 10,000 deaths and growing in Canada and an amazing 106,000 in the USA.

On average, if you are taking one prescribed drug you are essentially exposing yourself to 70 side effects, if you are taking more than one drug that number increases to about 100 and has the potential to be a lot more. Astonishingly, despite the cold hard facts researchers told MSNBC “having a high number of side effects on a drug’s label should not suggest that the drug is unsafe.” Are they serious?? What exactly does it suggest then, I think millions would like to know.

You can almost guarantee if a food or supplement had 70 to 100 potential side effects the media would have a field exposing the “facts”. As an alternative, researchers have downplayed drug dangers, stating that side effect lists are more about “protecting manufacturers from potential lawsuits” than they are about measuring true toxicity. So where does that leave us with prescription drugs and side effects, a very long way from fixing the problem because if drug companies are protecting themselves, who is protecting the consumer?

Prescription drugs and side effects are easy to get away from by taking control of your health today. Ask yourself these simple questions and reexamine your medicine cabinet:

Do you really need that drug?

Is it prescribed appropriately, or is it being prescribed for an off-label use?

What are the side effects?

Is it addictive?

What are the natural alternatives?

Did I do a careful search to check for side effects or natural alternatives?

We all know the basics of swimming pool safety, but this is an excellent time to make sure you’re following all the rules! According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), an estimated 260 children under five years of age drown each year in residential swimming pools and spas. Another 3,000 children under age five are treated in hospital emergency rooms following submersion accidents every year. Swimming pool safety not only helps save the lives of children but adults and seniors as well. Follow these few simple rules for an accident free summer.

Never leave a child unsupervised near a pool: Provide constant adult supervision for anyone under the age of 12, and for anyone who is a poor or non-swimmer.

Post CPR instructions and your local emergency number in the pool area: Learn how to perform CPR, and update your training regularly.

Install a fence that adheres to guidelines: Your insurance company can give you specific guidelines, but basically make sure the pool is completely surrounded by fencing or walls. Install self-closing and self-latching “child-proof” gates and position latches and gate keys out of the reach of children. Have all safety features checked regularly, and be sure to use them at all times.

Make sure there are no objects near the fence that children could use to climb over it: These include such items as chairs, tables, and tree branches.

Make sure your children learn to swim: Confidence in the water goes a long way to help prevent injury. However, this is not foolproof, 25% of all drowning victims know how to swim!

Mount basic lifesaving devices near the pool: Pole, rope and personal floatation devices are recommended. Do not consider floatation toys as life savers; they are not adequate or inspected to serve that purpose.

If a child is missing check the pool first: Go to the edge of the pool and scan the entire pool, bottom and surface, as well as the surrounding pool area.