Flu season starts around October and usually peaks in January/February. But you can catch the flu all year long. Symptoms may be minor, like a runny nose or sore throat, or very serious – even life-threatening. Your best protection is to get the flu vaccine each year. It’s even safe for babies as young as 6 months. Talk to your doctor if you have questions or concerns about the vaccine.
Because the flu is spread through contact with affected people and things, good hygiene is an important defense. Wash your hands often to kill germs, and avoid people who are sick. If you get the flu, stay home for at least 24 hours after a fever passes so you’re not contagious.
You may not see them, but dangerous germs can be unwelcome guests at mealtime. Thousands of people die in the U.S. each year because of contaminated food. Soap
Deciding what to put on your plate at meal time can be hard. You want to eat healthy, but you also want to feel satisfied. The good news is that you don’t have to figure out nutritional value versus calories on your own.
Whole grains are a very important part of a healthy, balanced diet. Barley, quinoa, wheat berries and other whole grains are full of protein, fiber, vitamins and iron your body needs. There’s also strong evidence that whole grains may lower your risk for heart disease, diabetes and high blood pressure.
Walking helps you stay fit and healthy. Being active even lowers your risk for serious health problems, like heart disease, stroke, Type 2 diabetes, depression and some cancers.
Americans eat a lot more calories today than they did just a few decades ago. Part of the problem is fast food and super-sized portions. Our food servings have doubled or tripled at restaurants – and even at home.
Getting a good night’s sleep can help you in many ways. It can keep your heart healthy, lower your risk for cancer and diabetes, reduce stress and even promote weight loss.
There are bad habits and there are bad habits. When people smoke cigarettes, cigars or pipes, they’re not just hurting themselves. Every exhale puts more than 250 dangerous chemicals into the air.
Everyone thinks about sun safety during the summer or at the beach. But it’s important to protect yourself all year long – even on cloudy and hazy days. The sun, as well as tanning beds and sunlamps, gives off an invisible kind of radiation called ultraviolet (UV) rays.
Whether you eat three or six meals a day, maintaining a healthy weight comes down to what you eat, how much you eat and how much energy you use. We gain weight when we eat more calories than we burn. So it’s really important to couple balanced meals with an active lifestyle.