Flu Myths
Myths about the flu are everywhere, and with the help of WebMD we will debunk a few.
Flu Myth: The seasonal flu vaccine protects against swine flu.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t. There will be two vaccines this flu season: one for the seasonal flu and one for the novel H1N1 flu. The vaccine for the novel H1N1 flu is expected to arrive in Hawaii this week.
Flu Myth: The seasonal flu is annoying but harmless.
There has been a lot of focus on swine flu, but it’s important to remember that the run-of-the-mill seasonal flu can be a serious condition itself. In addition to the congestion and cough, you’re apt to have nasty body aches and fever, which are less likely with a garden-variety cold. But the seasonal flu also hospitalizes 200,000 people in the U.S. each year, and kills about 36,000.
Flu Myth: The flu vaccine can give you the flu.
There is simply no way that the flu vaccine can give you the flu – it’s impossible. Injected flu vaccines only contain dead virus, and a dead virus is, well, dead. It can’t infect you.
Flu Myth: The flu is only dangerous for the elderly.
It’s true that the people most likely to become seriously ill or die from the seasonal flu are over age 65. But flu can become risky for anyone, even healthy young adults. Some of the most susceptible people to seasonal influenza are young children.
Flu Myth: If you get the flu, you can’t get it again during that flu season.
Many people assume that if they’ve had the flu recently, they can’t get it again – and thus don’t need to get the vaccine. That’s not the case because the flu isn’t a single virus. In any flu season, there’s usually both Type A and Type B influenza in circulation. Both can cause the flu. It’s quite possible that you could get infected with one type and then the other.
Flu Myth: If you’re young and healthy, you don’t need to worry about getting the vaccine. Sure, if you’re in good health, you’ll probably recover from the seasonal flu just fine. Healthy adults forget that while they themselves might be at low risk for getting serious flu complications, other people in their family or community might not.
Nutrition and Walnut
Adding walnuts to your diet can be an important step in improving your cardiovascular health. The main claim to fame for this delicious nut is their omega-3 fatty acids, which help fight heart disease. Eating a handful of walnuts about five times a week will reduce your chances of getting a heart attack between fifteen and fifty percent. It makes sense that nuts and seeds are rich sources of a wide variety of nutrients, because they are, after all, nature’s nurseries. A nut or seed is basically a storage device that contains all the highly concentrated proteins, calories, and nutrients that a plant embryo will require to flourish. The walnut’s concentration of omega-3s has many potential health benefits ranging from cardiovascular protection, to the promotion of better cognitive function, to anti-inflammatory benefits helpful in asthma, rheumatoid arthritis, and inflammatory skin diseases such as eczema and psoriasis. In addition, walnuts contain an antioxidant compound called ellagic acid that supports the immune system and appears to have several anticancer properties.
- Walnuts are the flagship nut in the SuperFood category, and they are just plain delicious.
- Walnuts contain lots of antioxidants, and plant sterols, which lower cholesterol.
- Besides the reduction of coronary heart disease, walnuts also reduce the risk of diabetes, cancer, and a host of other chronic ailments.
- They are one of the few rich sources of plant-derived omega-3 fatty acids along with canola oil, ground flaxseed and flaxseed oil, soybeans and soybean oil, wheat germ, spinach, and purslane.
- Omega-3s benefit the cardiovascular system by helping to prevent erratic heart rhythms, making blood less likely to clot inside arteries, and improving the ratio of good cholesterol to potentially harmful cholesterol.
- Alpha linolenic acid, the omega-3 fat found in walnuts, promotes bone health.
- And all this is important because more than 95% of the US population is lacking a daily amount of Omega-3 fats.
- Walnuts are a good source of fiber, protein, magnesium, copper, folate, and vitamin E. They are the nut with the highest overall antioxidant activity, including at least 16 antioxidant phenols, vitamin E, and gallic acid.
- Their flesh consists mainly of a blend of vegetable fats(60%), a very respectable amount of protein (24%), and carbohydrates (10%).
- What’s great about walnuts is that medical studies have shown them to promote weight loss (even with a high caloric content).
- Melatonin, which is involved in inducing and regulating sleep and is also a powerful antioxidant present in walnuts.
- Walnuts also contain an antioxidant compound called ellagic acid, which blocks the metabolic pathways that can lead to cancer. Ellagic acid not only helps protect healthy cells from free radical damage, but also helps detoxify potential cancer-causing substances and helps prevent cancer cells from replicating.
- 5-10 Walnuts a day is all it takes to regain a big slice of your health back.
previous – Nutrition and Blueberry
Nutrition and Blueberry
Blueberries are an excellent source of vitamin A, C, E, K, and beta-carotene, as well as being rich in the minerals potassium, manganese, magnesium. They are also packed with antioxidants and phytoflavinoids which help protect the body against the damaging effects of free radicals and chronic diseases associated with the aging process. Not only can they lower your risk of heart disease and cancer, they are also anti-inflammatory (inflammation being a key driver of all chronic diseases). So you can see that blueberries have a host of benefits, all of which puts them in the category of Superfood.
- Researchers have shown that blueberries are one of the fruits with the highest antioxidant activity, and the capacity to destroy free radicals.
- They also contain anthocyanins and phenolics that can act as antioxidants.
- Blueberries are also high in potassium and vitamin C, making them the top choice of doctors and nutritionists.
- When selecting blueberries, the darker they are, the more antioxidants they have, and frozen are just as good as fresh.
- Blueberries help with short-term memory loss associated with aging.
- They can help improve vision.
- Blueberries have compounds called proanthocyanidins that promote urinary tract health and reduce the risk of infection by preventing bacteria from adhering to the cells that line the walls of the urinary tract.
- These berries are very low in saturated fat, cholesterol, and sodium.
- Blueberries include a flavonoid called kaempferol, and one study revealed that women whose diets provided the most kaempferol had a 40% reduction in risk of ovarian cancer.
- They improve memory and work to defend the brain from aging.
- They are also a good source of dietary fiber. A diet high in fiber contributes to heart health, helping to keep cholesterol in check, aids in digestions, and helps maintain regularity.
- Manganese, which is found in this berry, plays an important role in the development of bones and in the metabolism of protein.
