It is never too early or too late to start thinking about your bones. You will have them all of your life and they are needed to support your body’s weight. To keep those bones strong, here are three ways you can get what you need in your food.
Lunch is a pivotal meal during the day. It relieves the hunger from the morning’s activities and also sets you up to have the energy to make it through the afternoon until dinnertime. In some countries, lunch is the biggest meal of the day for this reason.
One of the most important minerals when talking about bones is calcium. The best source of calcium is from the food we eat. There are supplements but they do not all provide the same source of calcium that food does. And, they are not to be taken unless a doctor recommends them and gives a daily dosage.
Most people don’t take advantage of the calcium sources available. You may drink a glass of milk at breakfast or eat a bowl of cereal, but you can still get more.
That is where lunch can be so helpful. Here is another chance to get the calcium you need for your bones. How? Read on for three great ideas:
1. Add cheese to your meal. If you are eating a sandwich, include a slice of cheese that contains milk. It is fortified with calcium and vitamin D. Slap a slice on a turkey or ham sandwich. Melt it on top of tuna for a hot sandwich at lunchtime. If you are having a salad, you can also add cheese. Crumble up a tablespoon or two or sharp cheddar, Colby or Monterrey Jack cheese to add calcium to the meal.
2. Drink more milk. In school cafeterias, they serve milk. For kids who aren’t keen on plain milk, there is also low-fat chocolate and strawberry milk. An ice-cold glass or carton of milk will provide one of three servings of dairy for the day and quench your thirst in the process. Soda provides hundreds of calories and you still feel thirsty because of all the sugar.
3. Eat pizza. It’s okay every once in a while. For kids, the key here is the calcium-rich cheese. To lower the fat content, avoid pizza with toppings (unless they are vegetables) and just enjoy the cheese. You can also make your own mini pizzas using whole wheat bagels or English muffins.
What is in your lunch box? If it’s not a dairy product you could be missing out on easy ways to capture your daily dose of calcium. This mineral is instrumental in keeping your bones healthy and strong for life.
No one likes to have a sore throat, but what if you had strep throat? The two are not actually the same. Find out what strep throat really is so that you know what you are dealing with.
Strep throat is a possible cause of a sore throat. It can lead to throat infection. A throat infection can come from inflammation in your tonsils (tonsillitis) or a problem with your oro-pharynx (pharyngitis).
If the infection is viral in nature there is not much that you can do. Viruses have no known cures and just have to run their course. You can treat the symptoms but that is all. When it comes to a bacterial infection, that’s another story.
One bacterium that often causes problems is Streptococcus, most commonly Group A. That is where we get the term strep throat from. Streptococcus often occurs in children and teens but adults can be affected as well. Strep bacteria are a group of bacteria that are round and long in shape, like a chain.
How will you know if you have strep throat?
First, you will probably have a sore throat. Children can’t tell you when their throat is sore so they get fussy and cranky. Babies may have a decreased appetite because sucking can make their throat hurt more.
Children are the same way. They may say that their mouth hurts but it is actually a sore throat that is making them feel bad. If you feel their neck you may feel raised bumps. These are their swollen lymph nodes due to the infection. There may be a fever that accompanies strep throat.
If the sore throat doesn’t improve with fluids, there could be more to it. With a fever, possible vomiting, lack of appetite and stomach ache, you could be dealing with strep throat. This infection is contagious when fever is present, so see your doctor right away.
A doctor can do a test to see if you or your child actually has a strep infection in the throat. He will swab the throat. Most doctors’ offices can perform a rapid strep test if they suspect that it is indeed strep throat. The infections are more common in fall, winter and on into the beginning of spring.
Strep throat is treated with antibiotics. Penicillin is usually the medicine of choice. It can be given orally or through an injection. Antibiotics need to be taken for a full ten days as directed to be sure that the infection is gone. Even if you feel better, don’t stop taking the medicine.
When strep keeps coming back over and over causing tonsillitis, the doctor may recommend another course of treatment. In this case, surgical intervention to remove the tonsils can stop the recurrent infections.
If you suspect that you or your child has strep throat, seek medical attention right away.