Benefits of Rotating Food Intake

The Institute for Cancer Research has been urging consumers to eat a variety of foods. A diet high in a variety of fruits, vegetables, and grains insures that the body receives all the nutrients it needs to stay fit and tuned.

Most people stick to a small list of foods. For example, while there are up to 200,000 different edible plants, the average person eats three or four a day. Often it is the same three or four every day. Dr. David Heber, of the UCLA Center for Human Nutrition, quoted by the American Institute for Cancer Research, says: “We eat foods, not just nutrients, and there is overwhelming evidence that eating up to a pound of diverse fruits and vegetables can markedly reduce the risks of common forms of cancer and other diseases.”

How can one break the habit of eating the same foods every day? Buy a fruit or vegetable that is new to you. Try buying produce with variations in color. Also, try adding a new grain to your diet. Many grains can be put directly into soups, turning your traditional soup into a soup with new nutrients.

Be adventurous! Your body will thank you.

Home Emergency Kit

Especially during these difficult times, homes should have an emergency supply kit. These kits are easy to assemble. Here are some recommendations from the Federal Emergency Management Agency:

1. Flashlight; 2. Extra batteries; 3. Transistor radio; 4. Three-day supply of water per person; 5. Extra medication that a family member takes regularly or in an emergency; 6. Vitamins; 7. Extra set of car keys; 8. Some cash and/or credit card; 9. Hygienic supplies, including toilet paper, sanitary pads, and baby wipes; 10. Copies of important family documents in a waterproof container; 11. Extra pair of glasses; 12. Band-Aids, alcohol, and other first-aid items; 13. Canned or other non-perishable foods for three days; 14. Pain relief medications; 15. Utility knife; 16. Box of matches.

We at The Jewish Homemaker would add:
1. Siddur with Tehillim; 2. Kiddush becher and wine; 3. Shabbos candles; 4. Box of matzohs; 5 Pushka.

For more information, go to www.fema.gov/library/diskit.htm.

Before They Cut, Check

Choosing a surgeon for yourself or a loved one can be overwhelming and frightening. Patients commonly locate a surgeon by getting a referral from their family physician or from a close friend.

However, a referral may not be enough. You can investigate a recommended surgeon to bolster your confidence in him or her. You can research a doctor’s licensing status and history of malpractice suits. Here are two web addresses that can help with your research: www.docinfo.org and www.searchpoint.com. Both charge a fee for information.

Dry Winter Skin

If cold winter has gotten the best of your skin and your regular creams aren’t doing the job, try adding a pure essential oil to your cream. Put the cream in the palm of your hand and add two or three drops of a pure essential oil. Favorites for dry skin are lavender, geranium, rose, and myrrh. (Most essential oils should not be used directly on the skin and should be applied with a carrier oil.)

If you have extremely dry skin, try to avoid severe heat and hot baths. If you have dryness over much of your body, try the following technique for keeping the skin moist. After showering or bathing, do not dry your skin with a towel. Instead, use your hands to push the remaining water off your skin. When you are no longer dripping wet and there is still a moist covering on your skin, apply an aromatherapy body oil over the extremely dry parts. You can make an aromatherapy body oil by choosing olive oil, sesame oil, jojoba oil, or another carrier oil and adding a few drops of the essential oil of your choice.

It is interesting to note that swimming in a chlorinated pool will increase dryness of the skin, while swimming in the ocean actually helps heal dry skin.

Pure essential oils can be found at your local health food store, or on the web at www.taloils.com.

Q. Can the mineral supplements I am taking show up on x-rays?

A. The Tufts University Health & Nutrition Letter states: “Most doctors have seen supplements and other pills on x-rays, and it’s generally known that they can sometimes be confused with gallstones, kidney stones, or (very rarely) tumors.” The most likely guilty parties are potassium, iron, calcium, magnesium, and some basic multivitamins. The probable reason for this is impaired digestion. If someone’s stomach does not secrete enough acid to break apart the supplements, the excess minerals may show up on x-rays. Also, many stomach medications, such as Pepcid, Zantac, and Tagament, block stomach acid and can create similar confusion.

What should you do if you need an x-ray and are taking high doses of mineral supplements? Inform your doctor and your radiologist to help avoid a misdiagnosis.

Soothe Your Sore Throat

This mixture works for bad throats and for colds.

You will need: 4 teaspoons slippery elm powder (available in most health food stores), 2 cups boiling water, juice of a whole lemon, 2-1/2 tablespoons honey.

Pour the boiling water over the slippery elm powder mix. When the mixture cools, sweeten it with the honey and the lemon juice.

Take 1 tablespoon every hour on the hour throughout the day.