6 Vitamins and
Minerals Your Kids Need
Children and teens have different nutritional needs from
adults. Do your meals meet their needs?
The most important vitamins and minerals that your kids
needs are:
1. Calcium
"Calcium is the essential building block of bones and
teeth," says Andrea Giancoli, MPH, RD, a spokeswoman for the Academy of
Nutrition and Dietetics. The more bone your child builds now, the more reserves
she'll have when bone loss begins in later years.
Who Needs It and How Much:
Ages 1-3: 700 milligrams (mg) of calcium daily.
Ages 4-8: 1,000 mg daily.
Ages 9-18: 1,300 mg daily.
Foods That Have It: Dairy products, fortified foods, salmon,
and dark green leafy vegetables such as kale.
2. Fiber
Fiber isn't a vitamin or mineral, but foods that are high in
fiber also tend to be packed with many important nutrients, like vitamin E,
vitamin C, calcium, magnesium, and potassium.
Who Needs It and How Much:
Fiber recommendations are based on how many calories you
take in: about 14 grams for every 1,000 calories.
Although kids are much smaller than adults, their bodies
also need just about as much fiber as grown-ups in order to maintain a healthy
digestive system, Giancoli says. "A 4-8-year-old, who may be eating about
1,500 calories a day, needs 25 grams of fiber a day, and that's about what I
eat.” So toddlers, who generally eat a
bit less than older kids, probably need around 18 grams of fiber a day.
Food Sources:
Foods high in fiber include berries, broccoli, avocados, and
oatmeal. Another excellent source of fiber is almost any kind of bean, such as
navy, pinto, red, or kidney beans, or chickpeas. Beans are also high in protein
and nutrients like vitamin A and potassium, making them a great food for
vegetarian and vegan families.
3. B12 and Other B
Vitamins
The B vitamins are important for metabolism, energy, and a
healthy heart and nervous system. One of the most important B vitamins is B12.
Who Needs It and How Much:
Recommended intake is measured in micrograms:
Babies: about 0.5 micrograms daily.
Toddlers: 0.9 micrograms daily.
Ages 4-8: 1.2 micrograms daily.
Ages 9-13: 1.8 micrograms daily.
Teens: 2.4 micrograms daily (2.6 micrograms for pregnant
teens)
Foods That Have It:
Vitamin B12 comes mainly from animal-based foods, like meat,
poultry, fish, and eggs. Most kids usually get enough B12 in a regular diet,
but vegetarian/vegan kids may not, says Debi Silber, MS, RD, a dietitian in Dix
Hills, N.Y. Look for fortified foods that are high in B12. Check food labels
for the content of cyanocobalamin, the active form of vitamin B12.
4. Vitamin D
Vitamin D works with calcium to build strong bones. It may
also help protect against chronic disease later in life
Who Needs It and How Much:
abies and children should get at least 400 IU of vitamin D
daily, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. Breastfed babies need
vitamin D supplement drops until they are weaned and are getting at least 32
ounces of vitamin D fortified infant formula
or milk.
Foods That Have It:
Some fish, including salmon, mackerel, and sardines, are
excellent sources of vitamin D, as are eggs (D is found in the yolk) and
fortified milk. Vegetarian and vegan families should look for fortified cereals
high in D. Still, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends vitamin D
supplements for all kids, unless they're getting 400 IU from their diet.
5. Vitamin E
Vitamin E strengthens the body's immune system. It also
helps keep blood vessels clear and flowing well.
Who Needs It and How Much:
Ages 1-3 need 9 IU of vitamin E daily.
Ages 4-8 need 10.4 IU daily.
Ages 9-13 need 16.4 IU daily.
Teens need as much as adults: 22 IU daily.
Foods That Have It:
Vegetable oils such as sunflower and safflower oils, as well
as nuts and seeds including almonds, hazelnuts and sunflower seeds, are
excellent vitamin E sources.
6. Iron
Iron helps red blood cells carry oxygen throughout the body.
Who Needs It and How
Much:
Kids' iron requirements range between 7-10 milligrams (mg) a
day. By their teen years, boys need about 11 mg a day and girls who have
started menstruating need more, about 15 mg.
Foods That Have It:
Red meats and other animal products are high in iron. Non-meat
sources of iron include dark green leafy veggies (spinach, collard greens,
kale) and beans such as kidney, navy, lima, and soy
Exercises to Strengthen Bones and Joints
Being active is one of the best ways you can keep your bones
and joints working well.
Exercise can help you:
Maintain bone density as you get older
Lessen joint pain
Keep off extra weight that can stress your joints
Help your balance so you avoid falls that can damage bones
and joints
Strengthening Exercises
As we get older, we lose bone. But strengthening exercises
can help slow that process and help prevent osteoporosis. Strengthening
exercises are also helpful for joints.
"The best protection for a joint is having strong
muscles around that joint," says physical therapist Alice Bell, vice
president of clinical services at Genesis Rehabilitation Services in Kennett
Square, Pa.
Bell suggests you do strengthening exercises two to three
times a week to build bones and muscles around joints. To do that, you can use
hand-held weights or resistance bands. The amount of resistance or weight
should tire your muscle without causing joint pain.
You should work each major muscle group, including your arms
and legs, as well as your core and the muscles that support good posture, Bell
says.
Give yourself at least a day between strength training so
your body can rest. "Our muscles actually gain strength during the
recovery," Bell says.
Aerobic Exercise
Aerobic exercise revs your heart. Weight-bearing exercise
(such as climbing stairs, dancing, hiking, or walking) can help build bones and
keep joints healthy, Bell says.
Biking and swimming are not weight-bearing activities. They
may be great for your muscles, heart, and lungs, but they aren't the best
choices to boost bones.
Your goal: Get at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic
activity every week, including some weight-bearing exercise. That amounts to
about 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week.
You don't need to do the 30 minutes all at once. Find ways
to build activity into your daily routine, whether it's yard work or taking a
brisk walk (just a leisurely walk doesn’t count) with a friend.
Flexibility
Flexibility exercises, such as stretching and yoga, are also
good for joints. These can help preserve your range of motion. Do these at
least 3 days a week.
Take care, though, that you don't stretch too far. Also,
warm up for a few minutes first. To help prevent injuries, don't stretch a
"cold" muscle.
Consider adding balance exercises to your routine three
times a week, Bell suggests. She says simple exercises like standing on one leg
can help prevent bone-breaking falls. Tai chi is another option to improve
balance.
Getting Started
If you're not active now, ease into it.
"Don't measure yourself against others," says
Jennifer Hootman, PhD, of the CDC's Arthritis Program.
If you have a condition like heart disease, or if you’re a
man over 45 or a woman over 55, it’s a good idea to see your doctor before
starting a new exercise program.
5 Ways to Save on
Medical Costs
Health care can get real expensive, real fast, even when you
have insurance. But you can save money on medical care without harming your
health, experts say. Follow these tips to trim your health care expenses by
hundreds, maybe thousands, of dollars.
1. Ask Questions
"Doctor, is this test really necessary?"
It's not always easy to question your doctor. But if money
is tight, and you're worried about the added cost of an exam, it's important to
speak up, says Davis Liu, MD. Liu is a family doctor with the Permanente
Medical Group in California. He's the author of The Thrifty Patient: Vital
Insider Tips for Saving Money and Staying Healthy.
"The best way to save money if a doctor does recommend
a test is to ask, 'Why?'" Liu says. Is the test necessary for the doctor
to make a diagnosis? Can it safely be postponed while you wait to see if your
symptoms improve?
"Most diagnoses can be determined by doctors listening
and taking a good patient history and then a physical exam," Liu says.
"The testing is helpful if the diagnosis isn't clear and more than one
possibility remains."
2. Compare Prices
With the rising cost of health care it pays to shop around,
says Jeffrey Rice, MD.
Rice is chief executive officer of Healthcare Blue Book.
Healthcare Blue Book is a free online consumer guide that helps people
determine fair prices in their area for health care products and services.
"The most important thing is that patients understand
the cost of their care before they get their care," Rice says. "Most
people who have insurance think that if they stay in-network they're going to
get the network discount and it doesn't matter where they go" for their
care. "It absolutely matters."
"In-network" refers to a list of health care
providers who have reached agreements with your insurance company on how much
they'll charge for their services. You generally will pay less for providers on
that list.
But it still pays to compare prices within the list. For
example, insurers often pay an allowed amount of between $500 and $3,000 for
the same MRI, Rice says. "There are huge price variations, and you really
need to be careful to not be overcharged."
3. Take Advantage of
Online Tools
In a medical emergency, you call 911, period. But if it's
not an emergency, could you go to an urgent care center, a store clinic, or a
community clinic?
"Actually, the better question is: When do you seek
medical care and when do you not need to?" Liu says.
This doesn't mean you should take chances with your health.
But online tools can help you decide when it's safe to treat yourself or when
to seek medical care.
When you do need medical care, walk-in clinics such as those
at pharmacy chain stores "can do basic medical care quickly and possibly
at less cost than traditional urgent care centers," Liu says.
4. Switch to Generic
Drugs
Consider switching to generic medications when possible. The
FDA says generic drugs use the same active ingredients and work the same way in
the body as brand-name drugs, but they cost 30% to 80% less."Generic
medications are safe and equally effective as more expensive, newer
medications," Liu says.
Other ways to save money on medicines:
Check to see whether you are eligible for drug assistance
programs in your state.
Check with the company that makes your medicine to see if
you qualify for financial assistance.
Shop around your neighborhood or legitimate online
pharmacies for the best prices on prescription drugs.
Liu suggests looking into the $4 generic drugs offered at
some national chain stores.
Lower-priced medications are sometimes offered online, but
you need to be careful about illegal web sites that sell unsafe drugs. The FDA
web site has information that can help you stay clear of risky Internet
purchases.
5. Talk With Your
Doctor About Pill Splitting
Some people save money by splitting pills in half. Here's
how this method works.
Let's say your doctor wants you to take 10 milligrams (mg)
of a certain prescription drug. It's possible that the cost of buying a supply
of 10-mg pills is the same as buying the same number of 20-mg pills.
If that's the case, your doctor can prescribe the 20-mg
pills and you can cut them in half. That way, you'll have twice as many pills
for the same price.
But pill splitting can be risky. Some tablets -- because of
their size, shape, ingredients, or design -- cannot safely be split. Capsules
and time-released drugs, for example, should always be taken whole.
The FDA and the American Medical Association advise against
pill splitting unless it is specified in the drug's labeling.
Always check with your doctor first about splitting pills to
make sure it's safe
How to Choose
Long-Term Care Insurance
If you're concerned about being able to afford
care when you get old, long-term care insurance can help.Long-term care helps
you if you become chronically ill or disabled. Some long-term care is medical
care, but most long-term care is what's called "custodial care."For
example, long-term care can help you with personal tasks, s
such as:
Eating
Grooming
Getting out of bed
It can also help with household tasks such as:
Housework
Preparing meals
Managing your money
You can receive
long-term care in different places, such as:
Your home
An assisted-living facility
A nursing home
How Can Long-Term
Care Insurance Help?
Long-term care can be costly. But long-term care insurance
can help cover some of your bills. If you're thinking about buying coverage,
follow these tips:
Start planning early. The best time to start thinking about
buying coverage is when you're between 55 and 65, says Jesse Slome. He is
executive director of the American Association for Long-Term Care Insurance, a
national trade organization.
A big reason is that insurance companies will ask about your
health before selling you long-term care insurance. Since your health changes
as you age, looking into long-term care insurance sooner is better than later,
Slome says.
Don't assume Medicare covers long-term care. Generally,
Medicare doesn't pay for long-term care. Medicare pays only for a skilled
nursing facility or home health care that is medically necessary. It doesn't
cover support services such as help for activities of daily living.
Compare coverage. Long-term care insurance definitely is not
one-size-fits-all. But don't let weighing the pros and cons of long-term care
policies overwhelm you. Focus on what's most important to you, says Dee Mahan,
director of Medicaid Advocacy at Families USA. That's a national nonprofit
organization that advocates for affordable, high-quality health care.
"Do you want to stay at home? Would you be OK with
moving to an assisted-living facility?" Mahan says. "Know your top
priorities and make sure you get a policy that will cover that."
Also, plans will not pay benefits until certain conditions
are met, so it's important you understand what those are, Mahan says.
Mahan suggests you make sure your coverage includes inflation
protection. "You want some kind of protection in there if the cost of care
goes up so that the value of the coverage you're buying stays the same,"
she says.
"You also have to make sure that you're going to be
able to keep the premium payments up," Mahan says. "Like any
insurance, if you can't pay your premiums your policy gets canceled -- and
you've lost all the value of what you've put in."
Don't take an all-or-nothing approach. Many people
mistakenly look to long-term care insurance to cover the full cost of care,
Slome says. Then they realize how expensive it is, go into "sticker
shock," and end up doing nothing.
Instead, Slome suggests you take into account how much
savings, Social Security benefits, and investment income you'll have in the
future. All those can be used to supplement insurance coverage.
"People neglect the fact that they'll have savings,
assets, and other things that could pay -- and should pay -- some of the
cost," he says.
Work with an insurance professional. If you have a
relationship with a financial planner, ask him or her for referrals to a
specialist in long-term care insurance.
10 tips to prevent
childhood obesity
There are many things that a parent can do to prevent
obesity in their child, including:
Respect your child's appetite; children do not have to
finish everything on their plate, or finish the entire bottle.
Provide your child with a healthy, balanced diet, with
plenty of fruit and vegetables (5-a-day), and cut down on food containing bad
fats.
Avoid pre-prepared foods and foods with added sugar.
Provide enough fibre.
Limit the amount of high-calorie foods kept in the home.
Do not reward completion of meals with sweet desserts.
Replace whole milk with semi-skimmed milk at about two years
of age.
Enjoy physical activities as a family ( walking, swimming,
playing outdoor games, etc.) The Department of Health says pre-school to primary
school children should do three hours exercise a day once they can walk. Five
to 18 year olds are encouraged to do an hour to several hours a day of moderate
to vigorous intensity physical activity. Three days a week this should include
vigorous intensity activities to strengthen muscle and bone.
Encourage your child to participate in active play.
Limit television watching.
Parents are also urged to cut the amount of time this age group (5-18
year olds) is inactive, dragging them away from TV and video games for example
Your Guide to Shampoo
and Conditioners
Washing your hair is one of those practices, like brushing
your teeth and washing your face, that most of us do automatically. Lather,
rinse, condition, towel off, blow dry, and get on with your day.
For anyone lucky enough to be born with a lustrous, shining
mane, that quick routine is fine. The rest of us need to put more effort into
caring for our hair.
"If you have gorgeous hair and it looks gorgeous no
matter what you do to it, then it doesn't really matter. But the unfortunate
fact is most of us don't have that," says dermatology professor Amy
McMichael, MD, of Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center.
With so many options in those bottles, the first step is to
figure out what suits your hair.
What’s Your Hair Type?
Is your hair texture curly or straight? Does it frizz or
fall flat? Do you color it?
For each hair type there's a shampoo made for it.
"Different shampoos have different features and
benefits, so in order to maintain the most vitality and luster, it's important
to match what your hair needs to the features and benefits that are right for
you," says Nick Arrojo, owner and founder of ARROJO NYC and author of
Great Hair: Secrets to Looking Fabulous and Feeling Beautiful Every Day.
The easiest way to find the right shampoo is to look for words
on the label that match your hair type, such as "dry,"
"oily," "fine," or "frizzy."
•Fine hair: Wash your hair with a ‘volumizing’ shampoo to
add body.
•Curly hair: To tame flyaway hair and prevent dry,
damaged-looking tresses, McMichael suggests a shampoo specifically for dry or
chemically treated hair.
•Dry hair: "Look for shampoos with intensive moisture
replenishment," Arrojo suggests. He recommends scanning the ingredient
list for natural oils, which are absorbed by hair. Coconut oil is "one of
the best emollients in hair care," he says. Others are avocado oil,
grapeseed oil, and argan oil.
•Oily hair: Arrojo suggests buying a shampoo specifically
formulated for oily hair. Stay away from shampoo that bills itself as
moisturizing or conditioning. You don’t want to add more moisture to oily hair.
If dandruff is also a problem -- which it often is with oily hair -- treat it
with an anti-dandruff shampoo containing ingredients like ketoconazole, zinc
pyrithione, or selenium sulfide. "People think of dandruff as a dry scalp
issue, but really your scalp is oil-producing and certain people make more oils
than others," McMichael says. Yeast that live on the scalp feast on those
oils and produce irritating byproducts that make the scalp flake.
•Color-treated hair: Choose a color-preserving shampoo that
won't strip out the highlights you just spent a fortune on at the salon, Arrojo
says.
Once you've found the right type of shampoo for your hair,
try different brands until you find one you like, McMichael says.
