Chew On This

The reason? To encourage shoppers to make healthier eating decisions. Here’s how they plan on doing it. Some changes include:

› Bolder font, making it easier to see how many calories you’re consuming

› Clearly listing how much sugar is added to the food

› Specify what a serving size is, and define “serving size” itself to better fit what the average person eats

› Prioritize what Americans need more of in terms of vitamins

› Supplement labels will also be updated to reflect the new changes

Muscle

Malfunction

The P.R.I.C.E. Is Right

You’ve likely heard of the R.I.C.E. method for dealing with injuries, but builtlean.com recommends adding in another step—protect—to remind you to stop using the injured muscle.

PROTECT: Stop doing whatever strained your muscle in the first place to protect it from further injury. (Put down the weights, my friend.)

REST: Lay low for two or three days. If the pain persists, see your doctor.

ICE: Apply ice to the area while you’re awake for 20 minutes every couple of hours for the first day or two.

COMPRESSION: Wrap the pulled muscle with an elastic bandage, like an ACE bandage, to provide support. Just don’t wrap it too tight.

ELEVATE: Keep that pulled muscle propped up higher than your heart to keep the swelling down.

Reach for anti-inflammatory drugs like Advil, Motrin or Aleve to relieve persistent pain. You can also apply a hot compress or heating pad after the first couple of days to relax your muscle and prevent stiffness.

Soothing Solutions

So, you’re laid up on the couch; Netflix is on. Before you sink further into the cushions, soothe your pulled muscle with a few natural remedies. They’ll encourage healing and make lounging more comfy.

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Don’t try to power through the pain of a strained muscle—that will only make things worse. Instead, fast track your recovery with these simple steps.

Soak the muscle in Epsom salt for 30 minutes, dry and wrap in a bandage. Two cups of the salts added to a warm bath or a bucket of water should do the trick. Soak once daily until your strained muscle is completely healed.

Or, soak in the same amount of apple cider vinegar for anti-inflammatory and alkalizing effects. You can try to drink the stuff, too, but we’d suggest mixing it with warm water and honey to lessen the bitter taste.

Heat clove oil and gently massage it into your pulled muscle. Its anesthetic and anti-inflammatory properties will ease the pain, reduce swelling and increase blood flow to the area. You’ll experience similar benefits from garlic oil, as well.

Anti Acid

This behavior, however, could be one reason why you feel tired and sluggish the next day. Too much acidic food can be damaging to your body. The combination of toxins and acids often creates large amounts of inflammation in your body, forcing your body’s systems to work harder throughout the day.

All About Acid

Stressed? Fatigued? Joint and muscle pain? Lay off the acidic food and drinks for a while and see if your ailments begin to improve.

Acidity is measured in pH levels. A pH of 0 is high in acid, while a pH of 14 is alkaline, or base. You guessed it, a pH of 7 is considered neutral. (FYI, our stomach is a 3.5 to break up all the food we eat). The rest of our body, however, hovers between 7.35 and 7.45 regularly.

A diet of too many acidforming foods, including protein, can create acidic urine, which in turn can cause painful uric acid kidney stones. Overacidity can also lead to bone and muscle deterioration, not to mention issues with your liver and heart. Consuming too much acid also ups your risk for cancer.

Try It!

Here are a few simple changes to help eliminate acid from your body and your diet.

1. BREATHE! Believe it or not, deep breathing exercises will help rid damaging acid from your body.

2. HYDRATE WITHOUT COFFEE. Drink an 8-ounce glass of water every morning with half of a lemon. Continue to drink water throughout your day. Every day.

3. MINIMIZE HARMFUL ACIDS. Ca eine, sugar, gluten, dairy, alcohol, soda and processed food are not always your friend. Go easy on them.

4. DRINK SMOOTHIES. Having a fresh, organic smoothie is a great way to feed your body the nutrients it needs. Start with fruit like bananas and berries, and gradually add in spinach or kale.

5. EXERCISE FOR 20 MINUTES EVERY DAY. Sweating helps rid your body of toxins and acids. Visit the gym, go for a swim or take the kids on a bike ride.

Food For Thought

Foods with high acid: Eat less of this…

› Nuts (cashews, peanuts, walnuts)

› Sweeteners (sugars, maple syrup, fruit juices with sugar)

› Breads

› Fruit (blueberries, cranberries, etc)

› Co ee

› Condiments like mayo and ketchup

› Fried foods

› Salt

› Processed lunch meats and other sources of protein like chicken (remove the skin and don’t fry it for a low-acid option) or hot dogs

› Cheeses (Parmesan, cheddar, American, mozzarella)

Foods with low acid: Eat more of this…

› Green vegetables (broccoli, asparagus, celery, green beans)

› Brown rice

› Coconut

› Fish

› Eggs

› Melons and bananas

› Fruit (apples, blackberries, pears)

› Oatmeal

Face Off

Surely you’ve heard of the magic of coconut oil. But that’s just one oil out of many. Read on to find out some of the great benefits of some top facial oils.

From skin prone to severe dehydration to skin su ering from constant breakouts, oils can help stabilize and regulate the skin’s ecosystem.

Acne.

Studies have found that 5 percent tea tree oil is as effective at treating acne as 5 percent benzoyl peroxide. Miami dermatologist Leslie Baumann recommends it as a gentle, natural alternative to harsher acne treatments such as benzoyl peroxide or salicylic acid that sometimes dry skin out, causing more harm than good.

Dry skin.

Oily skin. Oil on oil? Sounds counterproductive right? Grapeseed oil helps to regulate your body’s natural oil production. Plus, it’s packed with beta-carotene and vitamins D, C and E.

Combination skin.

Try marula oil, made from the nut of the African marula tree, to prevent skin damage and fight breakouts almost immediately. Apply three drops of the oil onto your palm and then apply it to your skin to keep redness and blemishes at bay.

Repair.

Black currant oil is rich in fatty acids and has anti-inflammatory properties. It even works on conditions such as eczema or psoriasis because of the high levels of omega-3 fatty acids contained in this seemingly magical potion.

Discoloration. Rosehip seed oil is ideal for protecting your skin as well as promoting cell regeneration. Perfect for a boost to your moisturizer—just

Anti-aging. Argan oil contains a high concentration of vitamin E and essential fatty acids. Want further proof this oil actually works?

Check out skin care guru Josie Maran’s argan oil skin care line. Fountain of youth, here we come.

Although any oil can help replenish the skin’s lipids, coconut oil is one to especially rave about. As an anti-inflammatory, it is much more e ective than mineral oil at helping skin retain moisture. Want to throw one more into the mix? Extra virgin olive oils labelled as “first cold press” are rich in compounds that nourish the skin, including polyphenols, squalene and fatty acids.